Tri-Cities new COVID cases appear to be holding steady. No new deaths reported

The number of new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Benton and Franklin county residents reported on Thursday dropped to 82, after two days with new cases numbering well over 100.

There were no new deaths from complications of COVID-19 reported, leaving the total for the two counties at 139.

“If you look on a daily basis our case counts have been kind of all over the place,” said Rick Dawson, a senior manager for the Benton Franklin Health District.

But overall the number of new cases in the Tri-Cities area appears to have generally plateaued, or held steady, he said.

The numbers have looked promising enough that the Washington state Department of Health agreed on Wednesday to allow some expanded recreation and business activities in the Tri-Cities area beginning on Saturday.

Public health officials are crediting more residents wearing face coverings in public, although they continue to be concerned about too many people gathering in groups without social distancing and wearing masks.

It’s not clear why case numbers bounce around, sometimes wildly, Dawson said.

There were 130 new cases reported on Wednesday, 172 on Tuesday and 58 on Monday, he said. On some days in early July and in June more than 200 cases were reported in a single day.

School-age cases

The age of those being diagnosed with COVID-19 is trending younger across the state in Washington.

In the Tri-Cities area, 100 cases in school-age children were diagnosed in one two-week period, said Dr. Amy Person, health officer for the local health district.

If school had started with children attending classes, everyone in the classes likely would have been quarantined, she said.

Fortunately, transmission of the coronavirus seems to be lower in children than in adults and severe cases are less likely, she said.

However, there have been two cases of the serious illness called “multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children” in Franklin County.

In rare cases children who have tested positive for COVID-19 may develop fever and inflammation of organs — such as heart or lungs — with no other plausible diagnosis for symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Hospitalized cases

The number of patients being treated for COVID-19 in local hospitals was 64 as reported Thursday, which is in line with typical numbers after a spike in mid-July to 89 patients.

A day earlier 60 COVID-19 patients were reported, including those with positive test results and those awaiting test results, in local hospitals.

The 64 COVID-19 patients reported on Thursday accounted for 19% of patients in hospitals in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser.

The 82 total new COVID-19 cases reported on Thursday in the two counties bring cases confirmed in the bicounty area since the start of the pandemic to 6,641.

There were 46 additional cases reported Thursday in Benton County for a total of 3,431, and there were 36 additional cases reported in Franklin County for a total of 3,210.

The percentage of people testing positive in the Thursday report was 11% in Benton County and 12% in Franklin County.

A day earlier, when 130 new cases were reported, 37% of people tested were positive in Benton County and 35% were positive in Franklin County.

Free testing

Free drive-thru testing without an appointment continues to be offered with the help of the Washington National Guard at the Toyota Center in Kennewick and The HAPO Center, formerly TRAC, in Pasco.

Testing is available from 8 am. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, although on busy days the drive-thru line may be closed to additional cars at noon. The current heat wave may slow testing as cooling breaks are needed for those in protective clothing who are working there.

There is no charge for testing and no doctor’s referral is required, but health insurance will be collected if it is available. No one is turned away for lack of insurance.

Additional information about where testing is available in Benton and Franklin counties is posted on the local health district’s website.

This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 1:41 PM.