CDC says Pierce County at ‘high’ level of COVID-19; health department says ‘medium’
Pierce County is one of several Washington counties in the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “high” community level for COVID-19.
Thurston, Lewis, Pacific, Grays Harbor and Clallam counties also are among those in Western Washington at high level; Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Ferry, Lincoln, Spokane, Walla Walla, Columbia and Asotin also were ranked high as of July 5.
Kitsap, Island, Yakima, Kittitas, Benton and Whitman were the only counties ranked at low level; the rest are at medium.
The CDC ranks counties low, medium or high based on case rates above or below 200 per 100,000, new COVID hospital admissions and percentage of hospital beds used by COVID patients.
Pierce County’s case rate is more than 200 per 100,000, and new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 are at 10.2, the CDC reported Tuesday, with staffed inpatient beds in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19 at 8 percent.
In the “high” level, CDC recommends residents mask up at indoor public spaces and public transportation, stay up to date on COVID vaccines/boosters, get tested if you have symptoms. People at higher risk for severe illness also should consider additional precautions.
“People may choose to mask at any time. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask,” the CDC said on its county risk-level page.
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, in its report Tuesday, said, “Our local numbers continue to show us in the medium level,” because of “a slightly different data set and longer lag time for data than CDC uses for its community levels.”
According to TPCHD, Pierce County recorded 1,054 cases of COVID-19 for June 26-July 2 and 5 deaths. This week’s report does not include a full week of data because of the July 4 holiday.
The latest deaths include:
▪ A woman in her 60s from Lake Tapps-Sumner.
▪ A woman in her 100s from South Hill.
▪ A man in his 80s from Lakewood.
▪ A man in his 80s from Graham.
▪ A man in his 60s from East Tacoma.
Pierce County’s total COVID-19 count is 206,360 cases and 1,389 deaths since the first case was reported in March 2020.
This story was originally published July 5, 2022 at 2:49 PM.
