Tri-Cities still trying to stop recent rise in COVID cases. Here’s who is getting it now

The number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Tri-Cities area dropped to 27 on Thursday, down from 50 new cases reported the day before by the Benton Franklin Health District.

No new deaths of local residents due to the virus were reported Thursday.

The lower number of new cases reported Thursday drops the average daily number of cases reported this week to 39 per day.

The cases this week compare with a daily average of 38 new cases per day for the seven days ending Oct. 9 and an average of 32 new cases a day the week ending Oct. 2.

Cases have generally been on the increase for several weeks, ending a steep decline since early July. About 20 new cases were being reported on several days in mid September, with new case counts rising toward the end of the month.

But the increase has not negatively affected hospitalization rates or the availability of ventilators, said Heather Hill, the communicable disease program manager for the Benton Franklin Health District, in the Wednesday Kadlec on Call podcast.

On Thursday the local health district reported 21 people were hospitalized locally for treatment of COVID-19, up one from the past two days.

They accounted for just 6% of all patients in hospitals in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser.

Who’s getting COVID

Currently younger people are being infected, which does not stress hospitals, Hill said. Younger people are less likely to be as seriously ill.

But two to four weeks down the road there might be more seniors infected, as the coronavirus spreads from younger people, she said.

People 60 and older or with certain underlying health issues are at risk of a serious case of COVID-19.

People need to be vigilant in following recommendations intended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, including wearing masks and maintaining distance, she said.

“What we find often times is that people are very, very compliant when they are being watched — when they go to the grocery store, when they are out in public where face coverings are mandated, where social distancing is being observed,” she said.

“But as soon as we get into our personal private life ... and are with friends or family who don’t necessarily live in the same household, that’s where we start letting our guard down,” she said.

Local contact tracers are mostly finding the spread of the coronavirus likely was linked to weddings, funerals and other gatherings with family and friends, Hill said.

Public health contact tracers talk with those newly infected to try to determine where they were infected and who they might have infected

“We’re heading into the holiday season and all of those activities are going to increase even more,” she said. “And then we are heading into winter months where people are inside more.”

School reopening

The confirmed case rate for Benton County has increased to 130 new cases per 100,000 people for the two weeks through Oct. 3.

The new case rate had dropped to as low as 83 for the two weeks ending Sept. 10.

In Franklin County the confirmed new case rate is 203 cases per 100,000 for the two weeks ending Oct. 3.

Its new case rate had dropped to as low as 144 for the two weeks ending Sept. 17.

The confirmed rates for Benton and Franklin counties are expected to continue to climb for at least the next few days, based on preliminary data.

There is a lag time in confirming cases because new cases are backdated after the day they are reported to either when symptoms first appeared or when nasal or saliva samples for testing were collected.

The Washington state Department of Health recommends that schools not reopen for limited in-person classes until case rates are no longer considered high, which it puts at 75 or more new cases per 100,000 over two weeks.

However, Dr. Amy Person, the local health officer for the Benton Franklin Health District, says as more schools have reopened around the nation and internationally, it appears that new case rates can be as high as 200 per 100,000 over two weeks without a major spread of the coronavirus within schools, if safety protocols are strictly followed.

Flu shots

The Centers for Disease Control recommends flu shots by the end of October this year.

Public health officials are worried about a “twindemic” with the coronavirus already circulating in the community and the flu season looming.

“The devastating combination of the two is what we are trying to avoid,” Hill said. “The last thing a person really needs to deal with is not only catching COVID, but then catching flu on top of that. That would absolutely not be a good outcome for anybody.”

The Benton Franklin Health District is stressing that it’s particularly important to get a flu shot this year, both so you don’t get the flu and also to decrease the risk that you pass it onto others for whom it could be a devastating illness.

To make sure low-income and uninsured residents can be immunized, a drive-thru flu shot clinic is set for 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 31 in the Ochoa Middle School parking lot, 1801 E. Sheppard St., Pasco.

There is no cost, with only those who cannot otherwise afford to get a flu shot invited to stop by.

The drive-thru clinic is for those 19 and older and only the regular flu vaccine, not the high dose intended for those 65 or older, will be available at no cost. Medicare can be bill for most people for the high dose vaccine.

The clinic is organized by Tri-Cities Community Health, Kadlec Regional Medical Center and the Benton Franklin Health District with vaccine supplied by the state.

The Benton Franklin Health District also offers drive-thru flu immunization clinics Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons at its office at 7102 W. Okanogan Place, Kennewick. Its office is closed because of the coronavirus.

Appointments are required by calling 509-460-4200. Participants must be 19 or older.

Veterans may be eligible to get a flu shot without getting out of their car from the Veterans Administration in its parking lot at the Federal Building, 825 Jadwin Ave., Richland. The in-car clinic will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 23.

Tri-Cities cases, deaths

The 27 new cases announced on Thursday include 9 in Benton County and 18 in Franklin County.

Total cases since the start of the pandemic in the Tri-Cities area number 9,489, including 4,901 in Benton County and 4,588 in Franklin County.

Total deaths since the start of the pandemic in Benton and Franklin counties now total 187.

They include 126 Benton County residents who have died, including the death of a Benton County man in his 70s announced on Tuesday, and 61 residents of Franklin County.

Washington state

The Washington state Department of Health reported on Wednesday 734 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 10 deaths.

Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 95,509 cases and 2,221 deaths, up from 94,775 cases and 2,211 deaths Tuesday. Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.

Twenty-seven people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Sept. 25, the most recent date with complete data. Average daily hospitalizations peaked in early April at 78.

King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 24,466 cases and 790 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 11,628 cases and 266 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 8,917, according to the state’s tally.

Benton and Franklin rank sixth and seventh for cases, after Spokane and Snohomish counties. Benton also ranks sixth for number of deaths and Franklin ranks eighth, after Clark County, according to the state Department of Health.

All counties in Washington have cases. Eight counties have case counts of fewer than 100, including Columbia County with 14 cases.

For the past seven days, Washington had a 7.8-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate for the same period is 15.5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. North Dakota has the highest rate in the United States at 76.9. Vermont is lowest at 1.5.

There had been more than 7.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 216,553 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The United States has the highest number of reported cases and deaths of any nation, although some other countries have a higher rate of death based on population. More than 1 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 38 million.

This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 1:50 PM.