5 more coronavirus deaths in Tri-Cities. Death toll now at 62
Another five deaths were reported from complications of COVID-19 in the Tri-Cities area on Wednesday.
They are in addition to seven deaths reported already this week.
They bring the total deaths due to infection confirmed by the Benton Franklin Health District to 62.
More cases were reported in three key groups with known outbreaks — healthcare workers, employees at Tyson Fresh Meats beef plant near the Tri-Cities and residents and staff in retirement and long-term care homes.
The number of known COVID-19 cases increased by 18, bringing the total in the two counties since the start of the pandemic to 1,147. It was a one-day increase of just under 2%.
The deaths reported Wednesday included a Franklin County woman in her 50s, making her the third person younger than 60 to die of the disease in the two counties.
The latest five deaths also include the fourth death of a person without underlying health conditions. She was a Franklin County woman in her 70s.
Being at least 60 years old and having underlying health conditions — such as heart or lung disease or diabetes — are risk factors for a severe illness after infection with the new coronavirus.
The other three deaths reported on Wednesday included a Benton County man in his 90s, a Benton County woman in her 80s and a Franklin County woman in her 80s.
Fifty of those who have died lived in Benton County and 12 in Franklin County.
Tyson, health worker cases
The number of healthcare workers diagnosed with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic increased by six to 164 on Wednesday. They include workers caring for patients in hospitals, clinics and nursing homes.
The Benton Franklin Health District added 11 more people to its tally of workers at the Wallula Tyson Foods plant who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 for a total of 249.
Three Tyson plant workers have died. They include Jorge Guijarro, a utility worker, and Lupe Olivera, a butcher.
The local health district has been adding workers who commute to the plant from Benton and Franklin counties as it verifies results of testing done at the plant in late April. The number also includes more than 90 workers who fell ill with COVID-19 before plant-wide testing was done.
The Tyson plant resumed processing beef on Tuesday, with workers who tested negative allowed to return to work. As of Tuesday, nearly 12% of workers tested at the plant were found to have active infections of the new coronavirus, with or without symptoms.
The number of known cases since the start of the pandemic in residents of retirement communities and long term care homes increased by two on Wednesday, with one resident and one staff member newly infected.
The four hospitals in the Tri-Cities report 34 patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, up two from Tuesday. They account for 11% of hospitalized patients in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser.
Senior care homes
About 69% of the deaths in the Tri-Cities area — 43 of 62 — are associated with senior living or long-term care homes.
Although 95% of total deaths are in people 60 or older, they account for just 25% of cases. Those younger than 20 account for just 8% of the known cases and those ages 20 to 59 account for 67% of the known cases.
The breakdown of cases between counties is 660 cases in Benton County and 487 in Franklin County.
Eighty percent of cases were confirmed with testing and the remainder of cases have no test results available but patients had symptoms and were in close contact with confirmed cases.
With more than 1,000 cases so far 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. They also do not track severity of illness.
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 May 6, 2020 at 2:08 PM.