Tri-Cities new weekly COVID cases drop below the state infection rate

The Tri-Cities area has 74 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the Benton Franklin Health District reported Monday.

The cases were for three days since the last local report on Friday, bringing the average cases per day to 25.

That is down from the 29 cases per day reported after the previous weekend.

It also is down from the average of 32 new cases per day reported last week.

The latest report also appears to have dropped the Tri-Cities area seven-day case rate lower than the state’s, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control.

Benton and Franklin counties combined have had 71 new cases per 100,000 people for the last seven days reported, compared to the CDC’s most recent report finding a spike to 83 new cases per 100,000 over seven days for Washington state.

That’s up from a case rate of 75 for the state reported by the CDC late last week.

Oregon, in comparison, had a seven-day case rate of 57 reported most recently by the CDC and Idaho had a case rate of 112.

The national case rate is 130 cases per 100,000 people. Michigan had the highest seven-day case rate in the nation at 327.

The two week rate for Franklin County was up slightly as reported on Monday to 187 new cases per 100,000 over the two weeks ending March 22.

Cases are backdated to when positive test samples were collected, causing a lag in the weeks considered.

Phase 3 reopening

The Washington state Department of Health will look at new case rates on April 12, and counties must have a two-week case rate below 200 then to stay in Phase 3 of reopening.

Franklin County has been below 200 for seven days, with 177 the lowest case rate reported.

The Benton County case rate reported Monday was 119 new cases per 100,000 people for the two weeks ending March 22.

The new cases reported by the Benton Franklin Health District on Monday included 52 in Benton County and 22 in Franklin County.

They bring the total confirmed cases for the Tri-Cities area since the start of the coronavirus pandemic to 26,472, including 15,164 in Benton County and 11,308 in Franklin County.

The Tri-Cities has had 306 residents die of complications of COVID-19, including 207 in Benton County and 99 in Franklin County.

Fifteen people were hospitalized locally for treatment of COVID-19 as of Monday.

They accounted for just under 4% of the 383 patients at the Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser hospitals.

Ten days ago local COVID hospitalizations were as low as 12, after dropping from 22 at the start of March and 49 at the start of February.