20 new Tri-Cities coronavirus cases, with more healthcare workers infected
Twenty more known cases of COVID-19 were reported by the Benton Franklin Health District on Friday, but no new deaths from infection from the new coronavirus.
The number of known cases is 1,182, an increase of just under 2% since Thursday, and the number of deaths remains at 64 in the Tri-Cities area.
New cases included three more healthcare workers for a total of 170 infected since the start of the pandemic.
Another resident of a long-term care or retirement home and a worker at one of the homes also were added to the totals, which are 274 for residents and 159 for staff since the start of the outbreak.
No new cases were reported in workers at Tyson Fresh Meats in Wallula south of Pasco.
Total cases in the outbreak at the beef slaughter and processing plant stand at 250, including three deaths caused by complications of COVID-19.
Results from testing all employees at the plant have been added to the total number of cases, which also includes workers who became ill before testing started.
The number of hospitalized patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 reported to the local health district on Friday was 38, down from 40 on Thursday.
They account for 12% of hospitalized patients in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser.
Conditions of patients and the number in intensive care units has not been made public.
The breakdown of total cases to date is 675 in Benton County and 507 in Franklin County.
Eighty percent of cases have been confirmed with testing and the remainder had no test results but had symptoms and close contact with confirmed cases.
The deaths include 51 in Benton County and 13 in Franklin County.
This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 1:57 PM.