Pierce County sees COVID cases drop by more than 1,500, deaths by nearly half from previous week
Story has been updated to correct state percentage of total population’s full vaccination.
Pierce County reported 3,543 new COVID-19 cases for Jan. 30-Feb. 5 and 31 deaths.
That’s down from the previous week’s totals of 5,137 cases and 64 deaths.
The latest deaths include:
▪ A woman in her 60s from Central Pierce County.
▪ A man in his 80s from University Place.
▪ A woman in her 70s from Graham.
▪ A man in his 60s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 50s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 80s from Puyallup.
▪ A man in his 80s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 80s from Frederickson.
▪ A woman in her 50s from Spanaway.
▪ A man in his 90s from Frederickson.
▪ A man in his 60s from University Place.
▪ A woman in her 80s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 50s from Bonney Lake.
▪ A woman in her 90s from Lake Tapps/Sumner Area.
▪ A woman in her 30s from Lakewood.
▪ A man in his 70s from Edgewood/Fife/Milton.
▪ A man in his 70s from Spanaway.
▪ A woman in her 80s from Frederickson.
▪ A woman in her 70s from Graham.
▪ A woman in her 50s from Gig Harbor Area.
▪ A man in his 60s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 50s from Frederickson.
▪ A man in his 60s from Gig Harbor Area.
▪ A man in his 90s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 60s from Frederickson.
▪ A man in his 90s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 70s from Parkland.
▪ A woman in her 90s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 60s from South Pierce County.
▪ A man in his 70s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 30s from Lakewood.
As of Feb. 8, 69.7 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 170,753 cases and 1,156 deaths since the first confirmed coronavirus case was reported in March 2020.
Pierce County’s 14-day case rate per 100,000 was 3,035.7 for Jan. 12-25, 19.1 percent lower than the previous 2-week period.
The 7-day rate of hospitalizations per 100,000 was at 25.2 for Jan. 19-25, 39.3 percent lower than the previously reported 7-day period.
From February to December, 51,384 of Pierce County’s cases involved unvaccinated people, according to the state Department of Health in its vaccine data report issued Feb. 2. That compares with 17,269 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 Feb. 1 totals in parentheses (totals now include both positive antigen and positive PCR tests):
▪ Bonney Lake: 6,200 (5,996)
▪ Central Pierce County: 7,790 (7,564)
▪ East Pierce County: 10,466 (10,140)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 6,747 (6,534)
▪ Frederickson: 6,970 (6,723)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 6,791 (6,559)
▪ Graham: 6,857 (6,595)
▪ Key Peninsula: 2,257 (2,175)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 7,088 (6,896)
▪ Lakewood: 12,241 (11,865)
▪ Parkland: 7,127 (6,925)
▪ Puyallup: 9,587 (9,272)
▪ South Hill: 10,546 (10,209)
▪ South Pierce County: 7,412 (7,184)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 2,778 (2,685)
▪ Spanaway: 7,968 (7,749)
▪ Tacoma: 42,785 (41,682)
▪ University Place: 5,352 (5,118)
▪ Unknown: 3,791 (3,277)
VACCINES
Pierce County’s vaccination rate is 62 percent fully vaccinated for those 5 and older, according to the state DOH.
Among Pierce County’s total population, the county is 58 percent fully vaccinated, compared with the state rate of 66 percent.
Percentage of those in each age range who have received at least one dose of vaccine in Pierce County as posted Feb. 2:
▪ 5-11: 24.9 percent
▪ 12-17: 59.1 percent
▪ 18-19: 75 percent
▪ 20-34: 70.6 percent
▪ 35-49: 77.1 percent
▪ 50-64: 78.7 percent
▪ 65-79: 83.8 percent
▪ 80 and older: 92.8 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 Feb. 3, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department reported that 223 businesses saw outbreaks totaling 2,865 cases, down 9 percent over the previous week.
Among business outbreaks, Pierce Transit had the most cases listed as active with 97, followed by Rainier Rehab in Puyallup with 92 and McLane NW in Lakewood with 87. Both the Lakewood Walmart and Brookdale Harbor Bay in Gig Harbor were listed with 81 cases.
The Pierce County Jail was listed with 139 cases, unchanged from the previous week.
Schools saw 46 outbreaks and a total of 231 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 8, 2022 at 4:45 PM.
