Here’s how COVID cases, hospitalizations trended in Pierce County in past week
Pierce County reported 1,116 new COVID-19 cases for the past week and 11 new deaths.
Earlier this month, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department announced it was moving away from daily case and death reporting to a weekly reporting format each Tuesday. The Dec. 14 totals are the first under the new reporting standard.
The latest deaths include:
▪ A Tacoma man in his 60s.
▪ An East Pierce County man in his 40s.
▪ A University Place man in his 50s.
▪ A South Pierce County man in his 50s.
▪ A Tacoma man in his 80s.
▪ A Central Pierce County man in his 80s.
▪ A Tacoma woman in her 60s.
▪ A Spanaway man in his 60s.
▪ A Graham man in his 80s.
▪ A Gig Harbor area man in his 50s.
▪ A Lake Tapps/Sumner area man in his 60s.
As of Dec. 14, 66.1 percent of the people who died of COVID in the county had underlying health conditions, according to the health department’s dashboard.
The county’s totals are 99,251 cases and 955 deaths since the first confirmed coronavirus case was reported in March 2020.
Pierce County’s 14-day case rate per 100,000 was 288.2 for Nov. 21-Dec 4, similar to the last two-week period (date range: Nov. 7-Nov. 20). It declined less than 10 percent, according to TCPHD.
The 7-day rate of hospitalizations per 100,000 is at 5.3 for Nov. 28-Dec. 4, a decline of 25 percent from previous period of Nov. 21-27.
According to the health department, cases in the past two weeks show:
▪ 30.1 percent of cases younger than 20 years old. That age group make up 26.4% of the population.
▪ 34.6 percent of cases are ages 20-39. That age group makes up 26.5 percent of the population.
▪ 21 percent of cases are ages 50 or older. That age group makes up 35 percent of the population.
From February to October, 40,588 of Pierce County’s cases involved unvaccinated people, according to the state Department of Health in its vaccine data report issued Dec. 8.
That compares with 7,904 cases involving those vaccinated during the same period, according to state DOH.
More information on testing is available on the health department’s website.
GEOGRAPHIC TOTALS
Tuesday’s cumulative geographic totals, with Dec. 3 totals in parentheses (totals now include both positive antigen and positive PCR tests):
▪ Bonney Lake: 3,574 (3,497)
▪ Central Pierce County: 4,740 (4,640)
▪ East Pierce County: 5,792 (5,692)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 3,848 (3,791)
▪ Frederickson: 4,014 (3,926)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 3,657 (3,537)
▪ Graham: 4,088 (3,974)
▪ Key Peninsula: 1,243 (1,209)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 3,907 (3,843)
▪ Lakewood: 7,349 (7,229)
▪ Parkland: 4,337 (4,259)
▪ Puyallup: 5,814 (5,713)
▪ South Hill: 6,183 (6,040)
▪ South Pierce County: 4,435 (4,356)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 1,401 (1,357)
▪ Spanaway: 4,595 (4,515)
▪ Tacoma: 25,222 (24,943)
▪ University Place: 2,891 (2,841)
▪ Unknown: 2,161 (2,237)
VACCINES
In Pierce County, 70.8 percent of the population 12 and older has initiated vaccination, and 64.6 percent is fully vaccinated, according to state Department of Health.
Among those 12 and older statewide, 81.7 percent has initiated vaccination, and 75.3 percent is fully vaccinated.
Percentage of those in each age range who have received at least one dose of vaccine in Pierce County as posted Dec. 8:
▪ 5-11: 13.1 percent
▪ 12-17: 55.9 percent
▪ 18-19: 68.4 percent
▪ 20-34: 64.9 percent
▪ 35-49: 72.2 percent
▪ 50-64: 74.3 percent
▪ 65-79: 80.2 percent
▪ 80 and older: 88.3 percent
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 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 5 or older is eligible for the Pfizer vaccine., and anyone 16 or older is eligible for a booster six months after completing two-dose mRNA vaccine series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) or two months after receiving the single shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 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.
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 3:30 PM.
