Tri-Cities COVID cases continue to drop. Deaths hold steady at 159

The Benton Franklin Health District reported 67 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the total for the long weekend and Tuesday, and no new deaths from the disease.

The new cases averaged just 17 per day for the area, with 33 cases in four days in Benton County and 34 in Franklin County. The local district does not update cases on weekends and holidays.

Numbers were better than a week ago when an average of 33 cases were reported each day for Saturday Aug. 29 to Monday Aug. 31.

Deaths in the Tri-Cities area from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic total 159, with 112 in Benton County and 47 in Franklin County. Franklin County has slightly less than half the population of Benton County.

Total confirmed cases, including active and past cases, came to 4,233 in Benton County and 4,041 in Franklin County as of Tuesday.

The number of people hospitalized in the two counties on Tuesday for treatment of COVID-19 was not immediately available.

Last week’s totals

Last week saw three COVID deaths reported from Friday Aug. 29 through Friday Aug 4, which the Benton Franklin Health District compared with flu deaths in the two counties for the past 10 months.

There were nearly as many deaths from COVID in a week as the four deaths from influenza since Oct. 1, 2019, according to the district’s data.

In the previous seven-day period through Aug. 29 there was just one death reported.

The health district confirms deaths were caused by the coronavirus by making sure there was both a positive test result and that the death certificate listed a complication of COVID-19 as the primary cause of death.

The number of people newly hospitalized locally for treatment of COVID-19 also increased in the past week.

During the seven days ending Sept. 4, 35 people were admitted to hospitals in Benton and Franklin counties, more than double the 12 patients admitted for COVID treatment the previous seven-day period.

Franklin County’s cases topped 4,000 on Sept. 4. It had 109 new cases for the week, up from 94 the previous week.

Benton County had 105 new cases, down from 155 the previous week.

The most recent complete results for testing are for Aug. 17-23, with Benton County residents receiving 10% positive results and Benton Franklin County residents received 13% positive results that week.

New cases dropping

Among encouraging statistics is the drop in total new cases over two weeks.

The most recent two week period with finalized data was Aug. 10-23.

Benton County had 123 new cases total per 100,000 people, down from the rolling total of 136 per 100,000 reported a week earlier.

Franklin County had 267 new cases total per 100,000 people, down from the rolling total of 368 per 100,000 reported a week earlier.

Both counties have seen a drop of more than 50% in new cases since early July, and are getting closer to their initial goal of fewer than 75 new cases per 100,000 people over two weeks.

It’s the target set by the Washington state Department of Health for public schools to move from all at-home classes to a hybrid learning model with some classes and school and some at home.

Washington state

The Washington State Department of Health on Monday reported 310 new confirmed cases of COVID-19.

In addition, it reported 479 cases on Friday and eight deaths, 501 cases on Saturday and 399 cases on Sunday. Deaths were not reported over the holiday weekend.

Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 77,545 cases and 1,953 deaths.

King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 20,326 cases and 736 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 11,071 cases and 243 deaths and Pierce County is third with cases at 7,104 and 155 deaths.

They are followed by Snohomish and Spokane counties, with Benton and Franklin counties ranking sixth and seventh, according to state data.

All counties in Washington have cases, but Garfield and Wahkiakum have case counts of fewer than 10.

Stacia Glenn, The (Tacoma) News Tribune, contributed to this report.

This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 2:00 PM.