More than 200 new COVID-19 cases reported Friday in Pierce County
Pierce County reported 237 new COVID-19 cases Friday with one additional death, a Central Pierce County woman in her 60s.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department no longer assigns underlying condition status to individual deaths it reports and instead counts underlying conditions as part of a percentage of the total number of deaths, which as of April 14 was 74.8 percent.
The county’s totals are now 41,538 cases and 523 deaths since the first confirmed coronavirus case was reported in March 2020.
The 14-day case rate per 100,000 is 207.6, with six-day data lag. The 7-day hospitalizations rate per 100,000 was 7.5 as of April 10, the most recent data point from TPCHD. That’s up from 4.8 on April 1.
The numbers differ from those reported for the Roadmap to Recovery metrics, based in part on different points of time in measurement and different case totals. The state also includes some probable cases and cases among people who live on base at JBLM, according to the health department in its update Thursday.
An estimated 4,300 cases remain active in the county.
Testing is available at various sites in the area. Local libraries in Tacoma and Pierce County also offer test kits available for curbside pickup. More information on testing is available on the health department’s website.
GEOGRAPHIC TOTALS
Friday’s cumulative geographic totals with previous day’s totals in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 1,135 (1,129)
▪ Central Pierce County: 1,883 (1,878)
▪ East Pierce County: 1,899 (1,881)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 1,654 (1,645)
▪ Frederickson: 1,512 (1,503)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 1,303 (1,296)
▪ Graham: 1,400 (1,386)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 379 (378)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 1,565 (1,556)
▪ Lakewood: 3,376 (3,362)
▪ Parkland: 2,028 (2,018)
▪ Puyallup: 2,372 (2,363)
▪ South Hill: 2,383 (2,364)
▪ South Pierce County: 1,353 (1,345)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 596 (595)
▪ Spanaway: 1,959 (1,941)
▪ Tacoma: 11,420 (11,367)
▪ University Place: 1,330 (1,322)
▪ Unknown: 1,991 (1,972)
VACCINES
As of April 14:
▪ About 439,713 total doses given in Pierce County, according to the health department. Nearly 4.3 million have been administered statewide.
In the county, 28.23 percent of the population has initiated vaccination, and 19.08 percent are fully vaccinated, according to state DOH, compared with 34.97 percent in the state initiating vaccines, and 23.06 percent fully vaccinated.
▪ Vaccine access in the state is open to all residents 16 and older with no qualifying conditions required. The Pfizer vaccine is available to those 16 and older, while Moderna is available to those 18 and older, as per the vaccines’ emergency authorization use. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is not being used at this time, pending federal review.
Go to tpchd.org/vaxtothefuture or the county’s FindYourCovidShot.com website for information on local sites offering vaccines and for mass vaccine event registration. Locations of individual vaccine sites also can be found on the state’s vaccine finder: vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov.
▪ The health department’s call center to help those eligible now for vaccines is 253-649-1412.
▪ Pierce County has launched a call center to help those searching for vaccines. Residents who need assistance signing up for an event can contact the call center at 253-798-8900 or email pcvaccine@piercountywa.gov for help.
PHASE 2
Pierce County was rolled back to Phase 2 on April 12, with the new phase to take effect on April 16.
In new guidance issued Friday, April 9, counties can miss one of the two metrics and stay put. If they miss both, then they backslide.
In order to be in Phase 3 counties need to show either:
▪ Fewer than 200 new cases per 100,000 over two weeks
▪ Fewer than five new hospitalizations per 100,000 over one week.
Additionally, if the statewide intensive care unit capacity reaches greater than 90 percent, all counties will move back one phase.
According to the latest metrics released by DOH, Pierce County showed 267.9 new cases per 100,000 over two weeks, and 6.4 new hospitalizations per 100,000 over one week.
The time period measured for case rates was March 20-April 2. For hospitalizations: March 24-30.
The statewide ICU bed occupancy was measured at 77.8 percent, according to the data from March 29 to April 4.
