Pierce County COVID deaths include child under 10; second death under age 18 in pandemic
Pierce County reported 226 new COVID-19 cases for March 13-19 and 10 deaths.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department on Tuesday noted that one of the latest deaths included a child under age 10, which is the second COVID-19 death under age 18 reported in Pierce County.
As of March 22, 69.4 percent of the people who have died of COVID in the county had underlying health conditions, according to the health department dashboard.
The latest deaths include:
▪ A man in his 60s from Lakewood.
▪ A boy under 10 from South Pierce County.
▪ A woman in her 70s from Tacoma.
▪ A woman in her 70s from East Pierce County.
▪ A woman in her 20s from Graham.
▪ A woman in her 70s from South Pierce County.
▪ A woman in her 90s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 80s from Edgewood/Fife/Milton.
▪ A woman in her 70s from Lakewood.
▪ A woman in her 80s from Tacoma.
The county’s totals are 184,714 cases and 1,303 deaths since the first confirmed coronavirus case was reported in March 2020.
Pierce County’s 14-day case rate per 100,000 was 96.6 for Feb. 27-March 12, 33.8 percent lower than the previous 2-week period.
The 7-day rate of hospitalizations per 100,000 was at 2.8 for March 6-12, 45.1 percent lower than the previously reported 7-day period.
From February 2021 to January 2022, 75,969 of Pierce County’s cases involved unvaccinated people, according to the state Department of Health in its vaccine data report issued March 2. That compares with 42,862 cases involving those vaccinated during the same period, according to the state DOH. Updates to that report remain delayed because of “technical issues,” according to a note posted at the DOH website.
More information on testing is available on the health department’s website.
GEOGRAPHIC TOTALS
Tuesday’s cumulative geographic totals, with March 8 totals in parentheses (totals now include both positive antigen and positive PCR tests):
▪ Bonney Lake: 6,582 (6,557)
▪ Central Pierce County: 8,608 (8,572)
▪ East Pierce County: 11,111 (11,084)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 7,353 (7,319)
▪ Frederickson: 7,662 (7,638)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 7,267 (7,226)
▪ Graham: 7,475 (7,436)
▪ Key Peninsula: 2,431 (2,416)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 7,592 (7,569)
▪ Lakewood: 13,559 (13,501)
▪ Parkland: 7,898 (7,844)
▪ Puyallup: 10,600 (10,550)
▪ South Hill: 11,587 (11,543)
▪ South Pierce County: 8,019 (7,988)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 3,059 (3,032)
▪ Spanaway: 8,784 (8,750)
▪ Tacoma: 46,464 (46,052)
▪ University Place: 5,843 (5,788)
▪ Unknown: 2,820 (2,619)
VACCINES
Pierce County’s vaccination rate is 63.4 percent fully vaccinated for those 5 and older, according to the state DOH.
Among Pierce County’s total population, the county is 59.1 percent fully vaccinated, compared with the state rate of 67.3 percent.
Percentage of those in each age range who have received at least one dose of vaccine in Pierce County as posted March 10, the most recent update (no new numbers were released last week because of technical issues):
▪ 5-11: 27.9 percent
▪ 12-17: 60.4 percent
▪ 18-19: 77 percent
▪ 20-34: 72.3 percent
▪ 35-49: 78.4 percent
▪ 50-64: 79.6 percent
▪ 65-79: 84.5 percent
▪ 80 and older: 93.7 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.
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 2:37 PM.
