62 more COVID cases confirmed over weekend in Tri-Cities

The Tri-Cities has 62 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the Benton Franklin Health District reported on Monday for the past three days.

The average number of cases per day since the local health district last reported cases on Friday was 21.

That’s down from an average of 25 cases per day the previous weekend, and 37 new cases on average each day last week.

The two-week new case rates, which the Washington state Department of Health looks at to assess reopening county by county, remained below 200 for both Benton and Franklin counties.

The state will next check case rates, Monday, April 12, and counties with 200 or more new cases per 100,000 people in a two week period will drop from Phase 3 of reopening to Phase 2.

Benton County had a two-week case rate of 133 new cases per 100,000, as reported on Monday.

Franklin County had a two-week case rate of 184 new cases per 100,000.

The new cases reported on Monday included 43 in Benton County and 19 in Franklin County.

The Tri-Cities area has had 26,717 cases confirmed with positive test results since the start of the pandemic, including 15,312 in Benton County and 11,405 in Franklin County.

Just 13 people were being treated in local hospitals for COVID-19 as of Monday, according to the Benton Franklin Health District.

That’s down from as many as 22 at the first of the month and 62 at the start of 2021.

The 13 COVID patients on Monday accounted for 3% of the 401 patients at the Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser hospitals.

The Tri-Cities area has had 307 residents die of complications of COVID-19, including 208 Benton County residents and 99 Franklin County residents. The local health district updates recent deaths each Friday.