New COVID cases continue dropping in Tri-Cities. Uptick in hospital patients Monday

New confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Tri-Cities area averaged just 38 a day over the last three days, the Benton Franklin Health District reported on Monday.

That’s down from an average of 50 cases per day reported a week ago. The local health district does not release updates on the weekend, waiting until Monday to report three days of new cases.

The new cases reported on Monday were in line with the decline in new cases by about 50% since early July.

They also were well below the uptick reported on Friday with 74 new cases confirmed in the two counties since the day before.

There were no new deaths from complications of COVID-19 to report over the weekend or on Monday, following eight deaths from Aug. 8-14.

Public health officials said they expect the number of new deaths also to drop, but that will lag behind the drop in cases. There have been 153 deaths from the coronavirus in the Tri-Cities area since the start of the pandemic, including 110 in Benton County and 43 in Franklin County.

There were 37 patients being treated for COVID — either with positive test results or pending test results — in hospitals in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser on Monday.

That’s up from the 33 COVID patients reported Friday, but less than half the 89 patients being treated for COVID-17 in area hospitals at the first of July.

The hospitalized patients being treated for COVID on Monday accounted for about 12% of all hospitalized patients.

The total of cases of COVID-19 confirmed with positive test results in Benton and Franklin counties since the start of the convention is 7,589.

Benton County had 45 cases on Monday, including 9 for Monday, 6 for Sunday and 30 for Saturday.

Franklin County had 70 cases reported on Monday, including 16 for Monday, 8 for Sunday and 46 for Saturday.

While numbers of new cases have dropped significantly they still remain above targets to reopen schools and more businesses and to allow gatherings.

The Tri-Cities area is in modified Phase 1 now, with gatherings restricted to household members, with a few exceptions such as small behavioral health meetings, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, plus some outdoor and tent church services.

Benton County’s state-set target for more businesses to reopen and all K-12 classes to be held in person is no more than 50 cases total over two weeks. Franklin County’s target is no more than 24 cases over two weeks.

To begin to phase in hybrid in-class and at-home learning, the state recommends no more than about 150 cases total over two weeks in Benton County and no more than about 72 cases total over two weeks in Franklin County.

Tri-Cities testing changes

There will be no more drive-thru testing for COVID-19 at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, as the National Guard team there has been reassigned elsewhere in the state.

In response, the capacity of drive-thru testing at the HAPO Center, formerly TRAC, in Pasco is being doubled.

A second lane is being added to test up to 500 people a day.

The site is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. No medical orders are required and testing is free, although anyone with health insurance is asked to bring their insurance card.

Buses, large groups and walk-up clients cannot be served at the drive-thru site.

But the Benton Franklin Health District has posted information on many places in the bicounty area offering COVID testing, both rapid and regular, at bit.ly/TCtestingsites.

This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 1:40 PM.