Tri-Cities COVID deaths reach 170. Infections continue to plateau

A death was reported in the Tri-Cities from complications of COVID-19 for the second day in a row on Wednesday.

The Benton Franklin Health District also reported 12 new confirmed cases in Benton County and 21 new cases in Franklin County on Wednesday for a total of 33.

That matches the average number of new cases for the past four days in the Tri-Cities.

The Washington state Department of Health puts the confirmed number of new cases over two weeks at 95 per 100,000 people in Benton County and 158 per 100,000 people in Franklin County.

Because cases are backdated to when symptoms appeared and more cases could be added to recent days, it looks at new cases for the two weeks through Sept. 18.

The state goal is fewer than 75 cases per 100,000 people before public schools reopen under a hybrid model of at-home and in-person classes.

The Washington state Department of Health has said it is concerned that the sharp drop in new cases since early July in both counties has plateaued. Data shows a slight increase of cases in recent weeks in Benton County, which is closest to meeting state metrics for partially reopening schools.

Dr. Amy Person, the Benton Franklin Health district health officer, says that computer modeling indicates schools with good safety practices can reopen without a significant increase in new cases in the community when a new case rate of 110 cases per 100,000 people is achieved.

She earlier advised the schools to start preparing to reopen in October and has not changed that advice.

170 COVID deaths

The death reported Tuesday due to complications of COVID-19 was a Benton County man in his 70s. He was at increased risk of severe illness from infection with the coronavirus both because of his age and also underlying health conditions.

It was the second day in a row that the local health district reported that a Benton County man in his 70s had died.

Since the pandemic started, 170 people in Benton and Franklin counties have died, including 117 from Benton County and 53 from Franklin County.

The total confirmed cases in the Tri-Cities area include 4,584 in Benton County and 4,332 in Franklin county for a total of 8,916.

In encouraging pandemic news, the number of patients hospitalized locally for treatment of COVID-19 dropped below 20 on Wednesday.

The month started with 33 people hospitalized locally for COVID, and earlier this summer there were as many as 89 patients hospitalized in Benton and Franklin counties.

The 19 people being treated for COVID on Wednesday at local hospitals accounted for less than 6% of patients in the Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser hospitals.

Washington state

The Washington state Department of Health reported 773 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Tuesday and 24 deaths from the last four days.

The department does not report deaths over the weekends any longer and a data problem prevented it from reporting deaths Monday.

Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 87,042 cases and 2,124 deaths, up from 86,269 cases and 2,100 deaths Monday. Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.

Twenty-five people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Sept. 10, 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 22,237 cases and 761 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 11,413 cases and 260 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 8,002 and 206 deaths

Benton and Franklin rank sixth and seventh for cases, after Snohomish and Spokane counties.

All counties in Washington have cases. Ten counties have case counts of fewer than 100.

On Tuesday, Washington had a 1,150-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 2,154, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,569. Vermont is lowest at 279.

There had been more than 7.1 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 205,895 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The United States has the highest number of reported cases and deaths of any nation, although some countries have a higher rate based on population. More than 1 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 33 million.

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

This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 2:35 PM.