1 year since COVID hit Tri-Cities, case rate still higher than WA average

One year after the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the Tri-Cities area, another 34 new cases were confirmed Wednesday.

They bring the total cases confirmed by positive test results over the past 12 months to 26,119. That’s an average of 73 a day.

They include 303 Tri-Cities area residents who died from the disease, or almost one death each day.

The first known case, announced March 17, 2020, was a woman in her 20s with underlying health conditions who was being treated in a Tri-Cities area hospital.

She had traveled outside the United States.

Although it was the first confirmed case in Benton and Franklin counties, health officials believed the virus had already been circulating in the community. A lack of testing supplies then limited the number of sick people who could be tested.

The 34 Tri-Cities area new cases reported on Wednesday bring the average number per day this week — starting with the weekend — to about 31, about the same daily average as for the past 12 days.

Over the past seven days there have been 73 new cases per 100,000 people.

That compares to a case rate of 63 per 100,000 statewide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of Tuesday.

The national rate for the same period was 114 per 100,000. New Jersey has the highest rate in the United States at 290. Hawaii is the lowest at 25.

The new cases reported Wednesday included 20 in Benton County, bringing the number confirmed there since the start of the pandemic to 14,958.

Franklin County had 14 new cases reported Wednesday for a total of 11,181.

The number of people hospitalized locally for COVID-19 treatment, 18 on Wednesday, was up four from the day before.

The COVID patients still accounted for just under 5% of the 368 patients at the Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser hospitals. According to state standards, capacity would be adequate at twice that number of COVID patients.

COVID vaccine

On Wednesday thousands more Tri-Cities residents became eligible under state rules to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

They include workers in agriculture, food processing, grocery stores, jails and other detention and correction centers, and public transit jobs. More first responders, including those who respond to water and sewer emergencies, can now receive the vaccine.

The expanded eligibility also includes pregnant women and individuals with disabilities that put them at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness.

Individuals with disabilities are eligible for the vaccine if their disability alone puts them at higher risk for severe illness, or if they have a disability coupled with another underlying condition identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Those unsure if their disability puts them at greater risk, should talk to their health care provider, according to the Washington state Department of Health.

In addition, caregivers are eligible for the vaccine.

Anyone who supports the daily, functional and health needs of someone who is at high risk of COVID-19 illness due to advanced age, long-term physical condition, co-morbidities, or developmental or intellectual disability is considered a health care worker and is eligible for the vaccine, the Department of Health said.

They can be licensed, unlicensed, paid, unpaid, formal or informal caregivers, the state said. The person for whom they are providing care can be an adult or child.

The vaccine now is widely available in the Tri-Cities area. The Washington state Department of Health maintains a list by county at www.covidvaccinewa.org.

Washington state

The Washington state Department of Health reported 654 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday and 14 deaths from the disease.

Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are 351,109 cases and 5,149 deaths. Those numbers are up from 350,455 cases and 5,135 deaths Monday. The case total includes 20,742 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.

As of Feb. 25, the date with the most recent complete data, 37 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 were admitted to Washington state hospitals.

Preliminary reports indicate average daily hospital admissions were stable at 31 in early March.

Out of the state’s total staffed intensive care unit beds (1,228) approximately 75.7% (929) were occupied by patients Monday. Of those staffed ICU beds, 8.5% (104) held suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.

Cases by county

According to DOH data, King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 86,655 cases and 1,443 deaths.

Pierce County is second in cases, with 40,172, and also second in deaths with 587, according to state data.

All counties in Washington have at least 100 cases. Only 11 of the state’s 39 counties have case counts of fewer than 1,000.

There have been more than 29.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 536,826 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Tuesday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has the highest number of reported cases and deaths of any nation.

More than 2.66 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 120 million.

Craig Sailor with The (Tacoma) News Tribune contributed to this report.

This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 2:04 PM.