Soaring COVID-19 case numbers continue in Pierce County
Pierce County reported 382 new COVID-19 cases Friday and no new deaths.
One death was reported Wednesday: a woman in her 50s from Frederickson.
The county 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 Aug. 10 was 71.8 percent.
The daily case numbers have been on the rise with the spread of the Delta variant in recent weeks.
In the past two weeks, 20 percent of Pierce County cases have fallen into the under 10 and 10-19 age range, while 8 percent have been under the age of 10, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in response to questions from The News Tribune.
The county’s totals are 56,708 cases and 638 deaths since the first confirmed coronavirus case was reported in March 2020.
Pierce County’s 14-day case rate per 100,000 was 355.4 as of Aug. 11, up from 287.1 as of Aug. 8 and 222.8 at the end of last week. It was 67.1 as of July 14.
New hospitalizations per 100,000 over seven days for Pierce County is on an upward swing at 8.2 per 100,000, up from 4 at the end of last week. The state rate is 7.5.
Test positivity was at 14.6 percent the week of July 25-31 with the number of tests down over the previous week. The positivity rate for the county was lowest the week of June 13, when it hit 2.2 percent.
According to the state in its vaccination report of Aug. 11:
▪ 95.5 percent of COVID-19 cases from February 1, 2021 – July 31, 2021 were not fully vaccinated
▪ 95.4 percent of COVID-19 cases from February 1, 2021 – July 24, 2021 who were hospitalized were not fully vaccinated
▪ 94.3 percent of COVID-19 cases from February 1, 2021 – July 10, 2021 who died from COVID-19 were not fully vaccinated
▪ More than 94.3 percent of all cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in individuals 12 years or older from Washington state can be attributed to individuals who have not been fully vaccinated.
▪ In Pierce County, 98 percent of all cases between February and June involved those not fully vaccinated.
The state updates its report of unvaccinated cases once a week.
The county lists a total of 201 cases related to business outbreaks, up from 148 cases last week. Industries listed include child care, construction food service/restaurant, grocery, leisure/hospitality, manufacturing, office and outpatient medical/dental, public safety, retail and warehouse.
More information on testing is available on the health department’s website.
GEOGRAPHIC TOTALS
Friday’s cumulative geographic totals with Aug. 10 totals in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 1,718 (1,678)
▪ Central Pierce County: 2,542 (2,484)
▪ East Pierce County: 2,773 (2,689)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 2,249 (2,202)
▪ Frederickson: 2,199 (2,165)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 1,732 (1,693)
▪ Graham: 1,963 (1,928)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 511 (501)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 2,208 (2,179)
▪ Lakewood: 4,408 (4,361)
▪ Parkland: 2,627 (2,603)
▪ Puyallup: 3,182 (3,130)
▪ South Hill: 3,353 (3,293)
▪ South Pierce County: 2,016 (1,971)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 812 (796)
▪ Spanaway: 2,672 (2,643)
▪ Tacoma: 14,866 (14,672)
▪ University Place: 1,718 (1,703)
▪ Unknown: 3,159 (3,090)
VACCINES
In the county, 58.7 percent of the population 12 and older has initiated vaccination, and 52.8 percent is fully vaccinated, according to state Department of Health.
Among those 12 and older statewide, 70.7 percent has initiated vaccination, and 62.5 percent is fully vaccinated.
You can view vaccine participation by census tract on the local 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 is eligible for 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.
▪ 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.
