Death toll from coronavirus reaches 45 in Tri-Cities. State says there could be more

Two more deaths in the Tri-Cities area from complications of COVID-19 were announced Wednesday, bringing the total for Benton and Franklin counties to 45.

However, Washington state believes 3 others also may be coronavirus related.

Known cases increased to 899 for the two counties, and people with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 who were hospitalized increased to 40, up from 34 the day before.

They account for 13 percent of the patients hospitalized in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser.

Those who died most recently were a man and a woman, both Benton County residents in their 70s, said the Benton Franklin Health District.

They apparently were residents of long-term care or senior living homes, as the health district raised its tally of deaths related to those facilities from 31 to 33 on Wednesday.

The total deaths in Benton County linked to the new coronavirus are now 41, with the remaining four in Franklin County.

However, the Washington state Department of Health has reported seven deaths due to complications of COVID-19 in Franklin County.

The local health district has so far confirmed through information on death certificates that only four of those deaths were the result of infection with the new coronavirus.

Overall, all but two deaths reported by the local health district were in people older than 60 and all had underlying health conditions, which is a risk factor for severe cases of COVID-19. The two younger people were both in their 50s.

Benton County has more homes for senior living and long term care than Franklin County, helping explain some of the disparity in the number of reported deaths between the two counties.

About 73% of deaths reported by the local health district have been linked to outbreaks in the facilities.

Tyson and Trump’s order

Confirmed and probable known cases of COVID-19 in the two counties as of Wednesday increased by 29 to 899, a jump of 3%, up from an increase of about 1% Monday and 2% Tuesday.

Four more people are reported ill linked to the outbreak at the Tyson Fresh Meats plant south of Pasco at Wallula, for a total of 130. They include 120 residents of Benton or Franklin counties, nine in Walla Walla County and one in Umatilla County, Ore.

One Tyson worker, who lived in the Tri-Cities, has died.

The plant closed on Friday for testing of the approximately 1,400 workers at the plant by the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health.

Most testing had been completed by Wednesday morning, and county health officials were waiting for results of some of the first testing done.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday evening ordering meat packing plants to continue operating during the pandemic to supply food to the nation, but it was not immediately clear what it would mean for the Wallula plant shutdown for testing.

Tyson, along with regional and state health officials, had previously said that it would analyze test results to make a decision on when it could reopen.

Among concerns is that Tyson have enough healthy workers to resume operations of the Tri-Cities area plant after testing is concluded and results are available.

The presidential order requires that the secretary of agriculture take all appropriate action to ensure that meat processors continue operations consistent with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control.

The order also could make meat and poultry plants eligible to receive some protective gear from the federal government.

The plant near the Tri-Cities can produce enough beef in one day to feed 4 million people, according to Tyson Foods.

Health workers, nursing homes

In Benton and Franklin counties, the number of healthcare workers infected with the new coronavirus increased since the start of the pandemic by two on Wednesday to a total of 144.

Two more residents of long-term care or retirement homes were reported, bringing the total to 136 residents infected and 103 staff at the facilities since the start of the pandemic.

The local health district stopped reporting cases by facilities this week, after previously reporting 13 facilities in the two counties with cases in residents in staff.

Among its reasons were that facilities that voluntarily tested all residents and staff as requested by public health might have higher numbers than facilities that had not done the requested testing.

Pasco has had the most cases in Benton and Franklin counties and the highest rate of infection, with 341 cases, or a case per every 174 residents, based on estimated 2020 population.

Kennewick has had 303 cases, or a case for every 240 people.

Richland had 128 cases, or a case for every 473 people.

Case totals include 525 cases in Benton County and 374 in Franklin County.

About 77 percent of cases have been confirmed with testing and the remainder are probable cases in people for whom test results were not available but who had symptoms and close contact with confirmed cases.

With cases at almost 900 in the two counties, Benton and Franklin health officials say they do not have the staff to determine how many cases are active and how many people have recovered.

Much of the local health district’s staff time is used to identify and notify close contacts of COVID-19 patients to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, with staff assigned to work seven days a week.

This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 1:56 PM.