Pierce County COVID case, hospitalization rates lowest since last summer in latest count
Pierce County reported 250 new COVID-19 cases for March 20-26 and eight deaths.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department on Tuesday noted that the rate of cases and hospitalizations were the lowest since July and August, respectively.
As of March 29, 69.5 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 70s from Lake Tapps/Sumner Area.
▪ A woman in her 80s from University Place.
▪ A man in his 80s from Parkland.
▪ A woman in her 60s from Tacoma.
▪ A man in his 70s from South Hill.
▪ A man in his 70s from Central Pierce County.
▪ A man in his 70s from South Hill.
▪ A man in his 40s from Tacoma.
The county’s totals are 185,655 cases and 1,311 deaths since the first confirmed coronavirus case was reported in March 2020.
Pierce County’s 14-day case rate per 100,000 was 70.8 for March 6-19, down from 96.6 in the previous two weeks.
The 7-day rate of hospitalizations per 100,000 was at 1.8 for March 13-19, down from 2.8 in the previous count.
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: 6,610 (6,582)
▪ Central Pierce County: 8,667 (8,608)
▪ East Pierce County: 11,151 (11,111)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 7,394 (7,353)
▪ Frederickson: 7,713 (7,662)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 7,290 (7,267)
▪ Graham: 7,508 (7,475)
▪ Key Peninsula: 2,444 (2,431)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 7,639 (7,592)
▪ Lakewood: 13,621 (13,559)
▪ Parkland: 7,951 (7,898)
▪ Puyallup: 10,707 (10,600)
▪ South Hill: 11,662 (11,587)
▪ South Pierce County: 8,069 (8,019)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 3,073 (3,059)
▪ Spanaway: 8,840 (8,784)
▪ Tacoma: 46,755 (46,464)
▪ University Place: 5,861 (5,843)
▪ Unknown: 2,700 (2,820)
VACCINES
Pierce County’s vaccination rate is 63.5 percent fully vaccinated for those 5 and older, according to the state DOH.
Among Pierce County’s total population, the county is 59.3 percent fully vaccinated, compared with the state rate of 67.4 percent.
Percentage of those in each age range who have received at least one dose of vaccine in Pierce County as posted March 24:
▪ 5-11: 28.5 percent
▪ 12-17: 60.7 percent
▪ 18-19: 77.4 percent
▪ 20-34: 72.6 percent
▪ 35-49: 78.6 percent
▪ 50-64: 79.7 percent
▪ 65-79: 84.7 percent
▪ 80 and older: 93.8 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.
This story was originally published March 29, 2022 at 3:23 PM.
