COVID cases and deaths for Pierce County continue to decline as Omicron wave fades
Pierce County reported 719 new COVID-19 cases for Feb. 13-19 and 25 deaths.
“Since our Feb. 1 case update, case and hospitalization rates fell by two-thirds,” the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department reported.
The latest deaths included:
▪ A man in his 80s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 70s from East Pierce County.
▪ A man in his 80s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 60s from Parkland.
▪ A man in his 70s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 40s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 80s from Lakewood.
▪ A man in his 60s from Bonney Lake.
▪ A man in his 50s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 80s from South Hill.
▪ A woman in her 60s from Bonney Lake.
▪ A man in his 70s from University Place.
▪ A woman in her 60s from University Place.
▪ A woman in her 80s from Bonney Lake.
▪ A woman in her 60s from Parkland.
▪ A man in his 60s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 90s from Central Pierce County.
▪ A man in his 90s from South Hill.
▪ A woman in her 80s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 90s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 80s from East Pierce County.
▪ A woman in her 90s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 70s from South Pierce County.
▪ A woman in her 40s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 90s from Tacoma.
As of Feb. 22, 68.9 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 176,014 cases and 1,226 deaths since the first confirmed coronavirus case was reported in March 2020.
The department noted that because the state did not update its dashboard on Presidents Day, case rate and hospitalization rates are from Friday.
Pierce County’s 14-day case rate per 100,000 was 1,264.8 for Jan. 23-Feb. 5, 27.7 percent lower than the previous 2-week period.
The 7-day rate of hospitalizations per 100,000 was at 13.9 for Jan. 30-Feb. 5, 27.6 percent lower than the previously reported 7-day period.
From February 2021 to January 2022, 74,138 of Pierce County’s cases involved unvaccinated people, according to the state Department of Health in its vaccine data report issued Feb. 16. That compares with 40,988 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. 15 totals in parentheses (totals now include both positive antigen and positive PCR tests):
▪ Bonney Lake: 6,430 (6,339)
▪ Central Pierce County: 8,124 (7,987)
▪ East Pierce County: 10,832 (10,671)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 7,015 (6,916)
▪ Frederickson: 7,261 (7,148)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 7,024 (6,914)
▪ Graham: 7,126 (7,007)
▪ Key Peninsula: 2,346 (2,312)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 7,353 (7,257)
▪ Lakewood: 12,761 (12,533)
▪ Parkland: 7,396 (7,260)
▪ Puyallup: 10,072 (9,915)
▪ South Hill: 11,028 (10,855)
▪ South Pierce County: 7,697 (7,573)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 2,924 (2,870)
▪ Spanaway: 8,282 (8,131)
▪ Tacoma: 44,230 (43,490)
▪ University Place: 5,573 (5,482)
▪ Unknown: 2,540 (2,839)
VACCINES
Pierce County’s vaccination rate is 62.5 percent fully vaccinated for those 5 and older, according to the state DOH.
Among Pierce County’s total population, the county is 58.3 percent fully vaccinated, compared with the state rate of 66.6 percent.
Percentage of those in each age range who have received at least one dose of vaccine in Pierce County as posted Feb. 17:
▪ 5-11: 26.5 percent
▪ 12-17: 59.8 percent
▪ 18-19: 76 percent
▪ 20-34: 71.5 percent
▪ 35-49: 77.8 percent
▪ 50-64: 79.2 percent
▪ 65-79: 84.2 percent
▪ 80 and older: 93.3 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 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.
