Possibly 4 more Tri-Cities coronavirus deaths, plus 122 new cases since Friday
One death from coronavirus complications was reported in the Tri-Cities area Monday and three more deaths are under review, according to the Benton Franklin Health District.
In addition, 122 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Tri-Cities area since Friday.
The new cases come as Benton and Franklin counties wait to hear the Washington state Department of Health’s decision on whether they can partially reopen. A decision is expected early this week.
One target for reopening limits Benton County to no more than 50 new cases total in two weeks and Franklin County to no more than 24.
Since Friday, the last day that the local health district released new case totals, there have been 75 more confirmed cases in Benton County and 47 more confirmed cases in Franklin County.
The most recent death from complications of COVID-19 was a Benton County man in his 70s. He had underlying health conditions that put him at risk of a severe case of COVID-19.
The local health district said it is reviewing three more deaths, all in Franklin County, to determine if complications of COVID-19 was the primary cause of death.
Local public health officials review death certificates of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 to determine if the coronavirus caused the death.
The current confirmed death tally includes 72 deaths of Benton County residents and 21 deaths of Franklin County residents.
The number of patients hospitalized as of Monday in the two counties for treatment of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 was 60, down from a high of 68 on Thursday, June 11.
The current 60 COVID-19 patients, account for 22% of patients at the hospitals in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser.
A breakdown of the 122 new cases by day since Friday was not immediately available on Monday. But they average 25 per day in Benton County and almost 16 per day in Franklin County.
That compares to 180 new confirmed cases reported a week ago for Saturday through Monday June 6-8.
This story was originally published June 15, 2020 at 2:05 PM.