Better news on new COVID cases in Tri-Cities on Tuesday, but hospital report not as good

The number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported on Tuesday dropped to 33 but the number of patients hospitalized for treatment of the disease locally increased.

No new deaths were reported by the Benton Franklin Health District.

The 33 new cases reported Tuesday are down from an average of 43 per day reported on the weekend through Monday and is close to the average reported for the previous seven days.

There were 25 more confirmed cases in Benton County and eight in Franklin County reported Tuesday.

They bring the total since the start of the pandemic to 4,730 in Benton County and 4,409, or 9,139 for the Tri-Cities area.

Total deaths in the Tri-Cities area since the start of the pandemic remain at 171, including 117 residents of Benton County and 54 residents of Franklin County.

There were 27 patients being treated for COVID-19 at local hospitals on Tuesday. That’s up from 21 at the end of last week.

The 27 COVID-19 patients accounted for about 9% of all patients at hospitals in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser.

School reopening data

The latest confirmed data from the Washington state Department of Health shows 101 new cases per 100,000 people over two weeks through Sept. 24 in Benton County.

Franklin County had 185 new cases per 100,000 people over the two weeks through Sept. 24.

The new case rate increased for both counties since the previously confirmed rates for the two weeks through Sept. 21.

Data for more recent days is considered incomplete because newly reported cases are backdated to the day when a test sample was collected.

The statewide rate is 78 cases per 100,000 people over the two weeks through Sept. 24.

The state Department of Health wants to see fewer than 75 cases per 100,000 over two weeks for partial reopening of public schools to many students.

But Dr. Amy Person, health officer at the Benton Franklin Health District, has said that a range of 90 to 100 cases per 100,000 over two weeks has been shown to be adequate for schools to partially reopen without an increase in the spread of the coronavirus.