COVID death count rises above 60 in one week in Pierce County as wave starts to recede
Pierce County reported 5,137 new COVID-19 cases for Jan. 23-29 and 64 deaths.
According to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in its Tuesday update: “Today’s case rate is higher than what we reported last Tuesday. But the rate peaked late last week and has started to decline this week.”
It added that the 14-day case rate includes a lag, “and our more recent data shows cases and case rate will continue to drop.”
Hospitalizations, it added, remain “very high.”
“The worst COVID-19 outcomes tend to lag behind the case peaks, and that’s what we’re seeing now,” the department reported.
The latest deaths include:
▪ A woman in her 80s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 70s from Lake Tapps/Sumner.
▪ A man in his 60s from Central Pierce County.
▪ A man in his 70s from Lakewood.
▪ A woman in her 50s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 40s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 80s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 60s from Graham.
▪ A man in his 60s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 40s from Edgewood/Fife/Milton.
▪ A woman in her 70s from Frederickson.
▪ A woman in her 50s from East Pierce County.
▪ A woman in her 50s from Spanaway.
▪ A man in his 70s from South Pierce County.
▪ A man in his 100s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 50s from Puyallup.
▪ A woman in her 50s from Spanaway.
▪ A man in his 50s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 60s from Key Peninsula.
▪ A man in his 80s from Lakewood.
▪ A woman in her 50s from Parkland.
▪ A woman in her 60s from Bonney Lake.
▪ A woman in her 80s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 80s from Graham.
▪ A woman in her 40s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 70s from Parkland.
▪ A woman in her 90s from East Pierce County.
▪ A woman in her 40s from Parkland.
▪ A man in his 60s from Lake Tapps/Sumner.
▪ A man in his 80s from Puyallup.
▪ A man in his 60s from East Pierce County.
▪ A man in his 70s from Lakewood.
▪ A woman in her 40s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 50s from Southwest Pierce County.
▪ A woman in her 80s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 60s from South Pierce County.
▪ A woman in her 70s from Puyallup.
▪ A man in his 50s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 60s from Central Pierce County.
▪ A man in his 60s from Spanaway.
▪ A woman in her 50s from South Pierce County.
▪ A man in his 50s from South Pierce County.
▪ A woman in her 20s from Edgewood/Fife/Milton.
▪ A woman in her 60s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 70s from Lake Tapps/Sumner.
▪ A woman in her 70s from Parkland.
▪ A man in his 80s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 80s from Parkland.
▪ A man in his 50s from South Pierce County.
▪ A man in his 70s from Bonney Lake.
▪ A man in his 30s from Spanaway.
▪ A man in his 20s from Puyallup.
▪ A man in his 60s from Frederickson.
▪ A man in his 70s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 50s from East Pierce County.
▪ A man in his 30s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 70s from Southwest Pierce County.
▪ A woman in her 80s from Southwest Pierce County.
▪ A man in his 50s from Central Pierce County.
▪ A man in his 80s from Frederickson.
▪ A woman in her 80s from Puyallup.
▪ A woman in her 70s from Puyallup.
▪ A woman in her 70s from Key Peninsula.
▪ A man in his 80s from Spanaway.
As of Feb. 1, 68.8 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 165,148 cases and 1,126 deaths since the first confirmed coronavirus case was reported in March 2020.
Pierce County’s 14-day case rate per 100,000 was 3,718.7 for Jan. 5-18, 6.4 percent higher than the previous 2-week period.
The 7-day rate of hospitalizations per 100,000 was at 41.1 for Jan. 12-18, 12.6 percent higher than the previously reported 7-day period.
From February to December, 51,262 of Pierce County’s cases involved unvaccinated people, according to the state Department of Health in its vaccine data report issued Jan. 26. That compares with 17,243 cases involving those vaccinated during the same period, according to the state DOH.
More information on testing is available on the health department’s website.
GEOGRAPHIC TOTALS
Tuesday’s cumulative geographic totals, with Jan. 11 totals in parentheses (totals now include both positive antigen and positive PCR tests):
▪ Bonney Lake: 5,996 (4,643)
▪ Central Pierce County: 7,564 (5,944)
▪ East Pierce County: 10,140 (7,561)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 6,534 (5,027)
▪ Frederickson: 6,723 (5,213)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 6,559 (4,925)
▪ Graham: 6,595 (5,179)
▪ Key Peninsula: 2,175 (1,553)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 6,896 (5,324)
▪ Lakewood: 11,865 (9,215)
▪ Parkland: 6,925 (5,392)
▪ Puyallup: 9,272 (7,365)
▪ South Hill: 10,209 (8,045)
▪ South Pierce County: 7,184 (5,414)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 2,685 (1,955)
▪ Spanaway: 7,749 (5,815)
▪ Tacoma: 41,682 (32,475)
▪ University Place: 5,118 (3,864)
▪ Unknown: 3,277 (2,688)
VACCINES
Pierce County’s vaccination rate is at 61.6 percent fully vaccinated for those 5 and older, according to the state DOH.
Among Pierce County’s total population, the county is 57.5 percent fully vaccinated, compared with King County at 78.1 percent and the state rate of 65.8 percent.
Percentage of those in each age range who have received at least one dose of vaccine in Pierce County as posted Jan. 26:
▪ 5-11: 23.7 percent
▪ 12-17: 58.6 percent
▪ 18-19: 74.3 percent
▪ 20-34: 70 percent
▪ 35-49: 76.7 percent
▪ 50-64: 78.3 percent
▪ 65-79: 83.5 percent
▪ 80 and older: 92.4 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 a 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.
OUTBREAKS
As of Jan. 27, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department reported that 221 businesses saw outbreaks totaling 3,151 cases, a 27 percent increase over the previous week.
Among business outbreaks, the Fred Meyer Distribution Center in Puyallup had the most cases listed as active with 138, followed by Tacoma Nursing and Rehabilitation Center with 107 and the Lakewood Walmart with 52.
The Pierce County Jail was listed with 139 cases.
Schools saw 50 outbreaks and a total of 241 related cases.
In the past 28 days, long-term care facilities in the county showed 97 sites with outbreaks accounting for 1,825 cases, according to TPCHD’s data on its website. They represent for the largest percentage of COVID-19 cases among business or facility outbreaks at 58 percent, with grocery second at 10 percent.
The county updates its outbreak list on Thursdays.
This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 4:03 PM.
