Tri-Cities COVID deaths up to 87. Cases drop after record bad weekend
The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in the Tri-Cities area dropped sharply on Tuesday compared to the day before.
There were 23 new confirmed cases in Benton and Franklin counties, down from a record high of 83 in one day reported on Monday, according to the local health district.
The new total cases for the two counties is 1,816, including 995 in Benton County, 819 in Franklin and two with no county yet assigned.
One death was reported on Tuesday, a Franklin County woman in her 70s with underlying health conditions that made her more vulnerable for a severe case of COVID-19.
The death brings the count for the Tri-Cities area to 87. That includes 69 in Benton County and 18 in Franklin County. Five of the deaths have been this month.
The total deaths include 63 associated with long-term care or retirement homes, or about 72%.
The new cases reported on Tuesday include 12 cases added to the Benton County count and 13 cases added to the Franklin County count.
The total comes to 25 because they include two previously known local cases that had not been assigned to a county until Tuesday.
That’s down from 83 cases on Monday, 43 on Sunday and 55 on Saturday, according to updated information from the Benton Franklin Health District that revised data to shift three cases from the Monday to Sunday report.
The 83 cases reported on Monday was the highest number since the pandemic arrived in the Tri-Cities area in March. Before this month the highest number was 54 cases reported for a single day, April 30.
Public health officials have attributed the recent high numbers to more coronavirus infections in employees working in a wide range of essential businesses, from takeout restaurants to agriculture workers, and also to unauthorized large gatherings.
The health district is only reporting cases confirmed by testing now that testing is more widely available for people with symptoms, although not everyone yet. It has revised earlier data to remove probable cases in which no test results were available.
Reopening targets
The Tri-Cities area still is not close to meeting targets set by the state for six of the state’s 39 counties — including Benton and Franklin — that remain in Phase 1. The six counties include King County, which is in a modified version of Phase 1, called Phase 1.5.
Counties in Phase 2 and Phase 3 are allowed to reopen more businesses closed because of the pandemic and have some public gatherings.
The local targets, based on population, are no more than 50 cases total over two weeks for Benton County and no more than 24 cases over two weeks for Franklin County.
The counties are expected to submit an application to the Washington state Department of Health to move to Phase 2 of reopening as soon as Wednesday, June 10, saying that steps are being taken to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
They include an order that people wear face coverings in public when they may be within six feet of people they do not live with, although the order is not being enforced.
The state could accept the application, reject the application or approve an approach that allows some additional business reopening but not as much as is allowed in full Phase 2.
More hospitalized
The number of patients hospitalized for treatment of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 increased to 62, as reported Tuesday by the local health district.
That’s up from 35 patients just over two weeks ago.
The current patients account for 21% of hospital patients in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser.
Local public health officials are not seeing major outbreaks in long-term care and senior living centers now, but there was one more resident reported on Tuesday for a total of 206 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic.
The number of confirmed cases in healthcare workers caring for patients increased by four to 210 on Tuesday. They include workers in hospitals, clinics and nursing homes.
The Washington state Department of Health reports 1,161 deaths in the state and 24,041 cases.
This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 1:53 PM.