More than 200 new COVID-19 cases reported in Pierce County for second day in a row
Pierce County reported 233 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday with one additional death, a Lakewood man in his 50s.
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 20 was 77.2 percent.
The county’s totals are now 42,486 cases and 528 deaths since the first confirmed coronavirus case was reported in March 2020.
The 14-day case rate per 100,000 is 211.6, with six-day data lag. The 7-day hospitalizations rate per 100,000 was 7.2 as of April 17, the most recent data point from TPCHD. That’s up from 4.8 on April 1.
The numbers differ from those reported for the state’s 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.
An estimated 4,900 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
Wednesday’s cumulative geographic totals with previous day’s reported totals in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 1,181 (1,174)
▪ Central Pierce County: 1,929 (1,914)
▪ East Pierce County: 1,952 (1,937)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 1,690 (1,677)
▪ Frederickson: 1,549 (1,540)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 1,334 (1,329)
▪ Graham: 1,424 (1,421)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 384 (no change)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 1,613 (1,605)
▪ Lakewood: 3,455 (3,443)
▪ Parkland: 2,073 (2,060)
▪ Puyallup: 2,432 (2,419)
▪ South Hill: 2,434 (2,428)
▪ South Pierce County: 1,381 (1,372)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 611 (609)
▪ Spanaway: 1,991 (1,989)
▪ Tacoma: 11,628 (11,564)
▪ University Place: 1,365 (1,353)
▪ Unknown: 2,060 (2,035)
VACCINES
As of April 21:
▪ About 480,850 total doses given to Pierce County residents, according to the health department. More than 4.6 million have been administered statewide.
In the county, 30.17 percent of the population has initiated vaccination, and 20.93 percent are fully vaccinated, according to the health department, compared with 37.47 percent in the state initiating vaccines, and 25.43 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.
