New Tri-Cities COVID cases ease over weekend. Rate of new cases still high

The Benton Franklin Health District reported 476 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the past three days, or an average of 159 per day.

That’s down some from the average number of cases each day for the last two weeks, even as public health officials fear an increase this week in known cases due to gatherings and travel from Christmas week through New Year’s Day.

The average number of cases reported daily last week by the Benton Franklin Health District was 176 each day. In reports the week before that — the last week of December — new cases were averaging 164 a day.

The number of people hospitalized locally for treatment of COVID-19 also dropped, with the lowest number of COVID patients reported in more than a month.

The case rate remains high.

Benton County had its highest reported case rate so far in January with 585 new cases per 100,000 people for the two weeks ending Jan. 4.

That’s still down from case rates in the 800s after Thanksgiving.

There is a lag in the weeks covered by the latest case rates because newly reported positive test results are backdated to the day when a person sought testing.

Franklin County’s most recent case rate is 750 new cases per 100,000 people for the two weeks ending Jan. 4.

That’s down from the highest rate reported this month of 760 and well below a case rate that exceeded 1,000 before Thanksgiving.

On Friday the reported case rates were 520 for Benton County and 706 for Franklin County.

The new confirmed COVID-19 cases announced on Monday included 217 in Benton County, bringing its total cases since the start of the pandemic to 12,637.

The 160 new cases confirmed in Franklin County bring its total to 9,271.

Combined, the two counties have had 21,908 cases confirmed through positive test results.

Hospital COVID patients

Local hospitals were treating 59 patients for COVID-19 as of Monday, the first time the number had dropped below 60 since the report on Dec. 3.

Previous high hospitalization numbers for COVID patients included 89 one day in late June and 81 on a day in December.

The 59 COVID patients reported Monday accounted for 15% of the 393 patients at hospitals in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser.

That’s still above the state recommendation of less than 10% to ensure adequate hospital capacity.

COVID deaths

The Benton Franklin Health District reports new recent deaths due to complications of COVID-19 only once a week, on Fridays, starting this month due to a new state law.

The law increases security on personal information included in death records and access to data on death records is now more limited.

No recent deaths have been reported yet this month by the local health district, which checks death certificates to confirm that COVID-19 was a primary cause of death.

Since the start of the pandemic 233 Tri-Cities area deaths have been attributed to COVID-19, including 156 Benton County residents and 77 Franklin County residents.

Washington state

The Washington State Department of Health on Saturday reported 2,988 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The department does not report cases on Sunday or deaths on weekends.

Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 271,595 cases and 3,698 deaths, up from 268,607 cases on Friday. The case total includes 11,235 cases listed as probable. DOH revises previous case and death counts daily.

Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.

King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 68,799 cases and 1,105 deaths. Pierce County ranks second for cases with 28,743.

It is followed by Spokane, Snohomish, Yakima, Clark, Benton and Franklin counties. If Benton and Franklin counties were considered together, they would rank fifth in the state for cases, according to the latest complete data for cases.

All counties in Washington have cases. Four counties have fewer than 100 cases, including Columbia with 92 cases.

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