Tri-Cities hits a sad milestone for COVID cases. It was not a good weekend
Confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Tri-Cities area have topped 10,000.
On Monday the Benton Franklin Health District reported 124 more known cases in Benton County and 83 more in Franklin County.
Because the local health district does not release information over the weekend, the 207 cases were for three days.
That means new cases averaged 69 a day.
And that compares to an average of 42 new cases per day reported for the previous seven days.
New cases since the start of the pandemic include 5,224 in Benton County and 4,805 in Franklin County for a total of 10,029.
There were no new deaths reported on Monday, leaving the total residents lost in Benton and Franklin counties in seven months at 188.
They include 127 people in Benton County and 61 in Franklin County.
Since Oct. 12, the number of patients hospitalized locally for treatment of COVID-19 has remained in the low 20s.
On Monday 23 people were being treated for COVID-19 in the Tri-Cities area.
They accounted for just under 8% of all patients in the hospitals in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser.
Tri-Cities cases, deaths
Just over 3% of Tri-Cities area residents have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the Benton Franklin Health District.
The rate is lower in Benton County at 2.5% of residents and higher in Franklin County at 5% of residents.
Of the people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, 2.5% have died in Benton County and 1.3% have died in Franklin County.
That is just under 2% for the two counties combined.
Franklin County had a slightly better week last week than the week before.
Its 119 cases reported for the seven days through Friday, Oct. 23, were down 13% compared to the previous seven days
In Benton County the 172 cases reported were up 16% from the week before.
The Washington state Department of Health has confirmed case rates through Oct. 8. It backdates new positive test results to the date that symptoms developed.
The confirmed rate for Benton County is 152 new cases per 100,000 people over the two weeks ending Oct. 8. That is up 17 from the two weeks ending Oct. 4.
The Franklin County rate is 256 new cases per 100,000 over the two weeks ending Oct. 8. That is up 50 from the two weeks ending Oct. 4.
The Washington state Department of Health has set fewer than 75 new cases per 100,000 over two weeks as a goal for allowing some limited in-person learning for most K-12 students. Local health officials have said 200 new cases per 100,000 could be OK if schools follow strict safety precautions.
COVID and children
However, Dr. Amy Person, the health officer for Benton and Franklin counties, says that while COVID-19 disease activity is increasing, which is of concern, it is not increasing in the school age population in the Tri-Cities.
“That is what allows us to continue to move forward with getting children back in school,” she said.
The Washington state Department of Health says it remains important for children to take the same precautions as adults, including wearing masks, hand washing and social distancing, in part because of a syndrome linked to COVID-19 in children.
There now have been 15 cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children in Washington state, including two in Franklin County and four in Yakima County, but none in Benton County.
“While rare, MIS-C is a serious complication that appears to be associated with COVID-19. Children who suffer from MIS-C can become critically ill and some can even die,” said Dr. Kathy Lofy, Washington state health officer.
None of the cases in Washington state have resulted in the death of a child.
MIS-C causes inflammation in different body parts, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs.
Children with MIS-C may have a fever and symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash and bloodshot eyes.
Washington state
The Washington State Department of Health on Sunday reported 649 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and on Saturday reported 919 new cases.
The department does not report deaths on weekends.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 102,913 cases and 2,296 deaths, up from 102,264 cases on Saturday.
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 26,329 cases and 798 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 11,829 cases and 271 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 9,895 and 291 deaths by the state’s records.
Benton and Franklin rank sixth and seventh for cases and deaths, following Spokane and Snohomish counties.
All counties in Washington have cases.
Lauren Kirschman of The (Tacoma) News Tribune contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 26, 2020 at 1:50 PM.