31 Tri-Citians are coronavirus victims, as cases rise. A 7th senior care home impacted
The death toll in the Tri-Cities area from complications of COVID-19 increased on Tuesday to 31, one more than a day earlier, according to the Washington state Department of Health.
The number of cases in Benton and Franklin counties climbed another 4 percent overnight to 530 on Tuesday.
About 30 percent of cases are in people older than 60, who are considered at higher risk of serious complications from the COVID-19 respiratory illness.
The number of health care workers infected remained at 101 for a second day.
The Benton Franklin Health District said that the most recent deaths were two Benton County men in their 70s.
Only two deaths in the bi-county area have been in Franklin County.
Nine of the victims were in their 90s, 10 in their 80s, seven in their 70s and five in their 60s.
The number of retirement and long-term care homes, including nursing homes, in the Tri-Cities with COVID-19 cases increased to seven on Tuesday.
There are 166 cases total in the seven homes, which include residents and staff.
The Benton Franklin Health District added Tri-Cities Retirement Inn to the list, making it the first Franklin County home for seniors to report a case. It offers independent living, assisted living and memory care.
The total cases in Tri-Cities homes increased by three on Tuesday, with a new case also reported at Life Care Center of Richland and Solstice Senior Living in Kennewick. Cases may be in staff or residents.
The largest outbreaks continue to be at two nursing homes. Life Care Center of Richland has 88 cases and Regency Canyon Lakes in Kennewick has 51 cases.
Eastern Washington deaths
Benton County, which has 29 of the deaths by the state’s count, has the third highest number of deaths of counties in the state, although still not close to the 295 deaths in King County and the 70 deaths in Snohomish.
In comparison, Spokane County had 13 deaths, Yakima County had 23 deaths, Grant County had two deaths and many Eastern Washington counties, including Walla Walla County have had no deaths.
Outbreaks linked to nursing homes, assisted living centers and retirement centers have raised the death toll in the Tri-Cities. At least 21 of the deaths have been in residents in those communal living homes.
Even though Benton County has more deaths, Spokane and Yakima counties had more known cases, according to state data updated Tuesday evening. The state does not include probable cases, and put Benton County cases at 261.
The state shows Spokane County with 266 known cases and Yakima County with 573.
The case total for the two local counties on Monday included 345 in Benton County and 185 in Franklin County, by the local health district’s count.
Benton County cases include 266 confirmed by testing for the new coronavirus and 79 additional probable cases for which testing was not done, but people developed symptoms after close contact with a person who tested positive, according to the local health district.
Franklin County cases include 134 confirmed by testing and 51 additional probable cases.
Benton Franklin Health District has been reporting probable cases because of a shortage of supplies to test patients for COVID-19 in the Tri-Cities area, contributing to a potentially inaccurate picture of the number of cases.
This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 12:59 PM.