93 new COVID cases in Tri-Cities area. And what could happen if schools open

The local health district reported 93 new cases of COVID-19 in the Tri-Cities area Friday, but no new deaths.

The confirmed cases were more than double the 41 cases reported a day earlier, but still less than half of the more than 200 new cases reported on a few days in June and July.

The number of patients hospitalized locally for treatment of COVID-19 dropped to just 33 as reported Friday, down one from Thursday.

A week ago 59 patients were being treated for COVID-19 in Benton and Franklin hospitals, which was down from numbers in the 60s reported on most days in mid to late July.

Local health officials say new cases are on a downward trend in Benton and Franklin counties and to be cautious of putting too much weight on a single day’s case count.

The Benton Franklin Health district reports that for the two weeks ending July 31, which is the most recent complete data, Benton County had 298 cases per 100,000 population. Franklin County had 527 cases per 100,000.

That is still too high for children to return to in-person classes or participate in sports or extracurricular activities under Washington state Department of Health guidelines.

Distance learning

It recommends distance learning if cases per 100,000 county residents are above 75 total over two weeks, with some in person learning starting when cases drop to 25 to 75 per 100,000 over two weeks and full-time in person learning when cases drop to below 25.

The University of Texas at Austin has developed a model that looks at infection rates if schools reopen this fall based on a school with 500 staff and students, said Dr. Amy Person, the health officer for the Benton Franklin Health District, in an interview with the Columbia Basin Badger Club on Thursday.

It estimated that on the first day of class four children or adults in a school of that size in Benton County already would be infected with COVID-19 and seven people in a school in Franklin County.

Some schools in the Midwest and South that have started in-person classes this month have had to quarantine multiple classrooms within a day or two because a child has come to school with the infection, Dr. Person said.

Kennewick, Richland, Pasco and many other area schools already have voted to start fall sessions with nearly all classes online.

Active cases, hospitalizations

In Benton and Franklin counties, current infections are decreasing, she said.

The health district has reported a 25% drop in Benton County and a 33% drop in Franklin County from the peak of new cases reported over the previous two weeks, she said.

“We are really moving in the right direction, and I think the community should be encouraged by that,” she said. “And I think this should also really propel them to do a little bit more so we can get to the levels we need to be at in order to get all the kids back in school.”

That includes avoiding gatherings, wearing face coverings and maintaining six feet of distance from nonhousehold members.

The cases reported by the local health district on Friday included 58 new cases confirmed in Benton County for a total of 3,690 there since the start of the pandemic.

Franklin County had 35 new cases reported for a total of 3,447, or 7,137 for the two counties combined.

Deaths from complications of COVID-19 stand at 145, including 105 in Benton County and 40 in Franklin County.

The 33 patients being treated for COVID-19 accounted for just under 11% of patients hospitalized in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser. A week ago they accounted for 18% of patients.

This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 1:57 PM.