‘Loss of momentum.’ Here’s why Tri-Cities COVID cases stopped dropping

Labor Day holiday parties appear to be the reason that the months-long decline in cases has halted in the Tri-Cities just as schools are trying to reopen, say top local health officials.

The increases showed up later than expected because of a testing slowdown after the smoke-choked skies forced the popular drive-thru testing site at the HAPO Center in Pasco to close for several days.

“That delayed some of our test results,” said Dr. Amy Person, health officer for Benton and Franklin counties on a webcast with the Columbia Basin Badger Club.

Tri-Cities area contact tracers, who call people after they test positive, are hearing from more people that they were exposed at parties and get-togethers, she said.

In some cases it was large gatherings, but there also have been infections spread by small groups, such as five friends.

Gatherings of up to five nonhousehold members outdoors have been allowed in the Tri-Cities since late August.

“What we are seeing is that people are taking bits and pieces of recommendations rather than all of them as a whole,” said Dr. Person.

Even in small groups people still need to stay outside, wear masks and maintain six feet of distance, she said.

“That’s where we are seeing some of the loss of momentum,” she said. “People are doing what they they need to do but not all of it together.”

The Tri-Cities area was seeing a steep drop in new cases starting in early July, but that has halted in recent weeks.

When Dr. Person recommended that schools could start reopening in October, she expected new cases to have dropped to 75 per 100,000 people over two weeks.

The most recent confirmed two-week case count by the Washington state Department of Health was 98 new cases per 100,000 people over two weeks in Benton County.

New cases are backdated to when symptoms appeared, so the two weeks through Sept. 21 is the most recent period for which the state believes most cases that began then have been reported and has confirmed a new case count.

For Franklin County the most recent confirmed case count is 160 new cases per 100,000 over two weeks.

Though the state still considers 75 per 100,000 as a high risk for school reopening, Dr. Person has said that as more is known about the coronavirus and its spread, she is comfortable with a limited reopening when new cases are in the range of 90 to 100 new cases per 100,000 over two weeks.

Schools would need to be diligent about sanitizing, face coverings and physical distancing, among other precautions.

As of the start of October, no outbreaks had been reported in the small private schools that have opened in the Tri-Cities, according to the Benton Franklin Health District.

September roundup

Despite the stall in the case drop in September, there was some encouraging news.

In July the Benton Franklin Health District reported 37 deaths due to complications COVID-19. That dropped to 17 in August and then to 14 in September.

The number of patients hospitalized locally for treatment of COVID-19 also was falling.

July ended with 59 patients being treated for COVID-19 in the hospitals in the two counties. That dropped to 34 at the end of August and then 19 at the end of September.

Through the month of September, 852 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Tri-Cities, or about 28 cases per day.

That included 448 new cases in Benton County and 404 in Franklin County.

On Friday Oct. 2 one more death was reported — a Franklin County man in his 70s with no known underlying health conditions.

The number of cases reported in the two counties dropped to 22, after cases had averaged 33 a day for seven days.

The number of people hospitalized locally for treatment of coronavirus infections was up slightly to 21.

They accounted for 7% of patients in hospitals in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser.

COVID testing available

Options for testing continue to increase in the Tri-Cities.

At home COVID-19 test kits are now available through Safeway and Albertsons pharmacies.

However, the pharmacies will not bill insurance. Instead, those who buy the test kit can submit the bill to their insurance company. They cost about $140.

Tests, which are done in about 72 hours on saliva, must be requested by filling out a short medical questionnaire at scheduletest.com.

Free drive-thru testing is available on the Columbia Basin College campus at 3110 w. Argent Road in Pasco.

Schedule an appointment online at bfhd.wa.gov/covid19 under “Testing Sites” for 8:30 a.m to 4 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays. Results should be available in one to three days.

For free drive-thru testing without an appointment, go to the HAPO Center, formerly TRAC, in Pasco from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Results will be available in three to seven days.

The Benton Franklin Health District has compiled a list of additional testing places for active coronavirus cases, including free drive-thru testing, with hours of operation, at bit.ly/TCtestingsites.

Washington state

The Washington state Department of Health reported Friday 694 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 11 deaths

Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 88,810 cases and 2,143 deaths, up from 88,116 cases and 2,132 deaths Thursday. Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.

Fifteen people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Sept. 13, the most recent date with complete data. Average daily hospitalizations peaked in early April at 78.

On Sept. 21, the most recent complete data, 18,407 specimens were collected statewide, with 3.5% testing positive. The average positive test rate for the seven days prior was 3.3%.

King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 22,749 cases and 767 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 11,471 cases and 263 deaths. Pierce is third at 8,180 and 207 deaths.

Benton and Franklin rank sixth and seventh for cases, following Spokane county now ranking fourth and Snohomish ranking fifth.

Franklin county ranks eighth for deaths, according to state data, behind Clark County.

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

On Friday, Washington had a 1,169-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 2,194, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,605. Vermont is lowest at 280.

There had been more than 7.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 208,600 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Friday 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 per population. More than 1 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 34 million.

This story was originally published October 3, 2020 at 12:07 PM.