‘Fall surge’ in COVID hitting Tri-Cities. New daily cases double in 2 weeks

The Tri-Cities area had 95 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported on Wednesday by the Benton Franklin Health District.

It puts the average daily new cases so far this week at 90.

That’s up from an average of 51 new COVID cases per day last week and an average of 42 new daily cases the previous week. Local cases are reported on a weekly schedule from the weekend through Friday.

Local health officials are concerned that colder weather is behind the increased case counts, as people spend more time indoors with nonhousehold members. The coronavirus spreads more easily inside than outdoors.

The cases reported on Wednesday included 67 in Benton County and 28 in Franklin County.

Cases since the start of the pandemic now total 5,595 in Benton County and 5,031 in Franklin County for a bicounty total of 10,626.

There were no new deaths reported on Wednesday by the Benton Franklin Health District.

The death toll for the two counties since the start of the pandemic remains at 190, with the last death reported on Monday.

The number of local hospital patients being treated for COVID-19 dropped to 29 on Wednesday, after having been in the 30s over the past week.

The 29 patients account for 8% of all patients in hospitals in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser.

Fall case surge

Washington state Department of Health officials are concerned that increasing cases across the state show that a dreaded “fall surge” in COVID cases has started.

“These upward trends threaten the progress we’ve made toward containment, and could impede other important statewide progress in the future,” the Department of Health said in a statement.

The state said two weeks ago that a fall surge could have serious consequences, including for the health care system, local plans to reopen schools and the state’s economic recovery.

The Department of Health is urging state residents take steps to stop the spread, including:

▪ Wearing a mask, even with people you see regularly and in your smallest social circles, and anytime you are using shared transportation, including while in your own vehicle with other people.

▪ Keeping gatherings small and holding them outside whenever possible.

▪ Avoiding any social gatherings indoors, but if you must participate, wearing a mask and ensuring windows and doors are open to maximize ventilation.

▪ Washing or sanitizing hands often and not touching your face.

▪ Staying home if you’re sick or if you’ve been exposed to COVID-19.

School reopening

Case rates for Benton and Franklin counties are increasing above rates that already were far above what the Washington state Department of Health considers high risk for school reopening — 75 or more cases per 100,0000 over two weeks.

The latest case rate for Benton County confirmed by the Washington state Department of Health is 172 cases per 100,000 over the two weeks ending Oct. 23.

But preliminary data shows that will increase to 245 for the two weeks ending Nov. 1.

Positive test results are backdated to the date when symptoms first appeared for the state’s calculation of the confirmed case rate, causing a lag time in results.

For Franklin County the latest case rate confirmed by the state is 275 cases per 100,000 over the two weeks ending Oct. 22.

It’s case rate also is going up, with preliminary data showing that the case rate will reach 317 per 100,000 people over the two weeks ending Oct. 30.

Dr. Amy Person, health officer for the Benton Franklin Health District, has not retracted her recommendation that schools reopen, saying that schools elsewhere that follow strict preventive measures have returned to some in-class learning without major COVID outbreaks.

Washington state

The Washington State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 657 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 22 new deaths.

Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 110,011 cases and 2,400 deaths, up from 109,354 cases and 2,378 deaths on Monday.

King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 28,337 cases and 821 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 12,044 cases and 278 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 10,685 and 231 deaths..

Benton and Franklin rank sixth and seventh for cases, following Spokane and Snohomish. If Benton and Franklin counties were considered together, they would rank fourth.

All counties in Washington have cases with just two with fewer than 20 — Columbia with 17 and Wahkiakum with 11.

Jon Manley of The (Tacoma) News Tribune contributed to this report.