Another COVID-19 death in Tri-Cities. Too many cases for more businesses to reopen

The death toll from complications of COVID-19 in the Tri-Cities area reached 82 on Thursday, with the Benton Franklin Health District reporting one more death.

Known cases increased to 1,574, with 14 new cases reported in the two counties.

They included six confirmed cases in Benton County and seven confirmed cases in Franklin County, with an additional case in Benton County considered probable. No test result was available, but the patient had symptoms of COVID-19 and close contact with a confirmed case.

The confirmed cases are important because they are what the state of Washington considers as it decides whether Benton and Franklin counties can open more businesses, including hair salons and eat-in restaurants at half capacity.

The Tri-Cities had half the number of cases in one day that it must have in two weeks to reopen.

Benton County must drop to no more than 20 laboratory-confirmed cases for two weeks and Franklin County must drop to no more than nine — for 29 total.

“We have a ways to go to meet that metric,” said Rick Dawson, senior manager for the local health district, on Thursday.

In the last two weeks Benton County has had 124 lab-confirmed cases and Franklin County has had 98 lab-confirmed cases, he said.

The most recent death was a Benton County man in his 90s. Both his age and his underlying health conditions put him at increased risk of a severe case of COVID-19 if exposed to the new coronavirus, according to the local health district.

The current totals are 65 deaths in Benton County and 17 deaths in Franklin County from complications of COVID-19.

All had positive tests for COVID-19, except one person who died early in the outbreak when tests were difficult to obtain. The local health district also checked death certificates for indications that the deaths were the result of COVID-19 rather than another cause.

The health district also reported this week that a Tri-Cities area child under 10 is hospitalized with the COVID-linked illness, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.

Four children in the state have been diagnosed with the syndrome, with the other cases in King, Snohomish and Yakima counties.

Hospital cases jump

Over all, the number of patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 jumped for a second day in a row.

Earlier in the month the hospitals in Benton and Franklin counties had as many as 42 possible COVID-19 patients.

That increased to 50 as reported on Wednesday and 55 on Thursday.

They account for 17% of patients hospitalized in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser.

The Washington state Department of Health reports that since March a total of 129 Benton County residents with confirmed COVID-19 cases have been hospitalized. And 62 Franklin County residents with confirmed cases have been hospitalized.

No new cases in residents of retirement or long-term care homes were announced on Thursday, with the total staying at 202.

Of the 82 deaths, 59 have been associated with senior living or long-term care homes. That is 72% of deaths.

Another three of those who died were workers at Tyson Fresh Meats south of Pasco. The local health district said the outbreak there is over, as this week marked two weeks with no new COVID-19 cases in Tyson workers who commute to the Wallula plant from the Tri-Cities.

The COVID-19 cases in Benton County total 906, with 738 cases confirmed with testing and the rest considered probable. In Franklin County they total 668, including 540 confirmed cases.

The Benton Franklin County Health District does not have information on how many of those people have recovered.

It also does not have information about the condition of hospitalized patients, how long they have been hospitalized and how many are being treated in intensive care units.

This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 2:27 PM.