New coronavirus cases dropping in the Tri-Cities, but remain high

No new deaths attributed to the coronavirus were announced for the Tri-Cities area on Thursday, and the number of new cases continued to be in line with the general downward trend.

The health district announce 33 new cases in the two counties on Thursday, which is more than the 26 cases announced on Wednesday, but down from 37 last Thursday.

“New active infections in Benton and Franklin counties continue to fall,” said Dr. Amy Person, health officer at the Benton Franklin Health District. “Disease activity still remains high ... but we are moving steadily in the right direction.”

The state of Washington considers disease activity to be high if there are 75 new cases per 100,000 population over two weeks.

For Benton County that would be about 150 cases total for two weeks and for Franklin County, with slightly less than half as many people, it would be about 72 cases in two weeks.

In the past two weeks Benton County has had 263 new cases and Franklin County has had 254.

At the peak of the pandemic locally this summer there were a few days with more than 200 cases reported per day for the two counties combined.

Despite a hold on allowing counties to move to new stages of reopening under the Washington state Safe Start plan, Benton County was approved by the Washington state Department of Health to open more businesses and allow more activities starting this week.

Dr. Person credited the community’s demonstration that it “can act responsibly and do what’s necessary,” including wearing face coverings in public, maintaining 6 feet of physical distance from nonhousehold members and staying home when sick.

Continuing those protective practices will allow more activities to be permitted, including those with a higher risk of disease transmission, she said. That includes indoor activities over longer periods of time, such as a return to some in-person classes.

The Tri-Cities area has had active COVID cases now for five months, “and it will be many more months that it will be with us,” she said. Even after the pandemic ends, COVID-19 likely will return seasonally like influenza, she said.

But it will not always be controlling our lives, she said.

“We’re seeing other countries getting it under control and we continue to gain control in Benton and Franklin counties,” she said.

Testing recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control this week said that people who have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 may not need to be tested for the coronavirus if they have no symptoms.

But Dr. Person said the new CDC guidance acknowledges that the need for testing can vary by state and community, based on disease activity.

With high disease activity in Benton and Franklin counties, it remains important that anyone with close contact with a person who has COVID-19 be tested even if they have no symptoms, she said. People with no symptoms still can transmit the virus to others, she said.

It also is critically important that anyone with symptoms be tested, she said.

The health district has information on testing, both at the Pasco HAPO Center community testing site and other places, posted at bit.ly/TCtestingsites.

Hospital cases

The number of patients hospitalized locally for treatment of COVID-19 increased from 30 to 34 between Wednesday and Thursday.

That was still in line with numbers that have dropped into the 30s this month since Aug. 4.

The 34 patients account for about 11% of patients being treated for COVID-19 at hospitals in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser. For the past two days the percentage had dropped below 10%.

The number of deaths in the two counties from complications of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic remains at 156, including 45 in Franklin County and 111 in Benton County.

Total confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic total 7,933, included 4,059 in Benton County and 3,874 in Franklin County.

The local health district does not track the number of people who have recovered from the disease.

Washington state

The Washington State Department of Health on Wednesday reported 456 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and four deaths.

Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 72,161 cases and 1,880 deaths, up from 71,705 cases and 1,876 deaths Tuesday.

Thirty-eight people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Aug. 8, the most recent date with complete data. Late March had two days with 88 people admitted, the highest numbers to date during the pandemic.

King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 18,976 cases and 719 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 10,853 cases and 237 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 6,621.

Garfield and Wahkiakum have the least, with fewer than 10 each.

On Wednesday, Washington had a 952-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 1,755, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,093. Vermont is lowest at 251.

There had been nearly 5.8 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 179,344 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Wednesday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 821,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.

Craig Sailor of The (Tacoma) News Tribune contributed to this report.