Pierce County sees decline in COVID case counts; data backlog affecting weekend totals
Pierce County reported 52 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday with two new deaths.
The latest deaths involved:
▪ A Puyallup woman in her 90s.
▪ A Tacoma 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 May 18 was 71.5 percent.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, 350 new cases were reported: 96 on Monday, 126 on Sunday and 128 on Saturday.
The actual number of new cases, however could be lower still, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in its post-holiday update.
“Case counts from Saturday, Sunday and Monday reflect a backlog of older cases recently entered into our data system. Backlogged cases could date back one week, to the beginning of the year, or to the beginning of the pandemic,” the health department said.
“We report cases for the date we find out about them and aren’t always able to separate out those cases that are part of a backlog until we get more information on the case.”
The county’s totals are now 49,588 cases and 575 deaths since the first confirmed coronavirus case was reported in March 2020.
Pierce County’s 14-day case rate per 100,000 was 211.9 as of May 29, with an eight-day reporting delay and trending downward, according to the state’s Roadmap to Recovery metric. That compares with the state’s rate of 165.4.
New hospitalizations per 100,000 over seven days was at 7.8, compared with the state’s rate of 5.8. The rate of new hospitalizations locally and statewide both are following downward trends.
Test positivity was at 7.8 percent from the week of May 9-15, the most recent data on the health department’s website, with the number of tests also down. The positivity rate is down from a peak of 11 percent the week of April 18 and 10 percent the week of April 25.
Pierce County, along with the rest of the state, moved into Phase 3 of the Healthy WA: Roadmap to Recovery reopening plan on May 18, which allows for 50 percent capacity for most indoor activities. The state plans to move to a full reopening (full capacity at all businesses) as of June 30, sooner if the rate of Washingtonians over age 16 initiating vaccinations hits 70 percent or more before that date.
Rollbacks are possible if statewide hospital ICU capacity reaches 90 percent at any time.
Testing is available at various places. Local libraries in Tacoma and Pierce County also have test kits available for curbside pickup. More information on testing is available on the health department’s website.
GEOGRAPHIC TOTALS
Tuesday’s cumulative geographic totals with Friday’s reported totals in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 1,453 (1,438)
▪ Central Pierce County: 2,233 (2,215)
▪ East Pierce County: 2,381 (2,357)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 1,964 (1,953)
▪ Frederickson: 1,879 (1,859)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 1,524 (1,513)
▪ Graham: 1,696 (1,676)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 440 (433)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 1,916 (1,906)
▪ Lakewood: 3,935 (3,921)
▪ Parkland: 2,384 (2,364)
▪ Puyallup: 2,800 (2,784)
▪ South Hill: 2,937 (2,901)
▪ South Pierce County: 1,723 (1,695)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 697 (694)
▪ Spanaway: 2,358 (2,341)
▪ Tacoma: 13,189 (13,104)
▪ University Place: 1,543 (1,529)
▪ Unknown: 2,536 (2,503)
VACCINES
As of May 26:
▪ About 678,016 total doses have been given to Pierce County residents, according to TPCHD. More than 6.8 million doses have been administered statewide.
In the county, 43 percent of the total population has initiated vaccination, and 34 percent is fully vaccinated, compared with 49.58 percent in the state initiating vaccines and 41.98 percent fully vaccinated.
TPCHD estimates JBLM’s vaccination information and doses administered by the Veteran’s Administration would add about 4 percent to 5 percent to the COVID-19 vaccination coverage rate for Pierce County. Those numbers are not included in overall totals because of Defense Department security protocol.
You can view vaccine participation by census tract on the health department’s website.
Go to tpchd.org/vaxtothefuture or the county’s FindYourCovidShot.com website for information on local places offering vaccines and for vaccine registration. Walk-up vaccine sites run by the county and most TPCHD events now no longer require an appointment, and all TPCHD events are for first or second doses. Anyone age 12 or older can receive the Pfizer vaccine. Those younger than 18 need parent or guardian approval. Locations of individual vaccine sites also can be found on the state’s vaccine finder: vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov.
▪ Multiple Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson events are offered at the Tacoma Dome, noon to 8 p.m., every day. The site is closed May 30 and 31 for Memorial Day. No appointment necessary. Pierce Transit is providing free rides to the vaccination site (Route 42) or the Tacoma Dome Station. Those 12 to 17 years old can get vaccinated with Pfizer at the Tacoma Dome if their parent or guardian is present.
▪ The health department’s call center to help those seeking vaccines is 253-649-1412.
▪ Pierce County also has 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.
This story was originally published June 1, 2021 at 2:24 PM.
