Tri-Cities new COVID cases hit 2-month daily high. It could put Phase 3 reopening at risk
The Tri-Cities had the largest jump in new COVID-19 cases reported for a single day in just over two months on Tuesday.
New two-week case rates, which the state considers for county-by-county reopening status, also were up.
The Benton Franklin Health District reported 71 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday.
It brings the cases for the week to date — starting with the weekend — to an average of 45 per day.
That compares to an average of 48 Tri-Cities area cases per day reported last week, and 34 new cases per day reported the week before.
Local public health officials had expected to see the number of new cases increase after the Easter and spring break holidays, but are hoping they will drop as people get back to normal behaviors and more people continue to be vaccinated.
The latest two-week case rate for Benton County is 174 new cases per 100,000 people, according to the Benton Franklin Health District. It is the highest rate calculated since March 3.
Franklin County’s case two-week case rate is 219 new cases per 100,000 people. It is the highest rate calculated since March 19.
On May 3 the Washington state Department of Health will assess whether each county meets requirements to stay in Phase 3 of reopening. It will consider how many people per 100,000 are admitted to local hospitals for COVID-19 treatment and whether the rate of new cases over two weeks is below 200.
The new cases reported on Tuesday included 41 in Benton County and 30 in Franklin County, which has about half as many people.
They bring total cases confirmed with positive test results since the start of the pandemic to 27,401.
They include 15,731 cases in Benton County and 11,670 in Franklin County.
The number of people hospitalized locally for COVID-19 treatment increased by two to 18 on Tuesday.
The number of local COVID-19 patients have remained in the teens after falling to only eight patients on April 7, down from 22 patients at the start of the month.
The 18 patients on Tuesday accounted for 4.6% of the 390 patients in the Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser hospitals.
There have been 310 local deaths from complications of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, including 210 in Benton County and 100 in Franklin County.
Vaccine update
The Benton Franklin Health District announced Monday that no appointments are required for a COVID vaccine at the Tri-Cities fairgrounds.
But organizers of the drive-thru mass vaccination site say they still strongly encourage residents to make appointments before coming to the site.
It saves the time of staff, who must create online profiles for people without appointments when they arrive.
Appointments also help with staffing plans and preparation of vaccine doses for the anticipated number of people seeking shots each day.
Hours this week are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 8 pm. Wednesday and Friday; and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.
To make an appointment, look for the direct links to each day at the Benton Franklin Health District Facebook page.
Or go to prepmod.doh.wa.gov and click on “Find a Clinic.” On the next page do not fill out the top part of the page, but scroll down and check each page to find appointments at the fairgrounds listed by date.
Appointments also may be made by calling 800-525-0127 and pressing #.
The Washington state Department of Health also lists more places with open vaccine appointments at vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov.
The state Department of Health says that more than 61,700 people have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in Benton and Franklin counties.
Washington state
The Washington state Department of Health reported 428 new COVID-19 cases Monday and 14 deaths since Friday.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are 386,920 and 5,394 deaths. Those numbers are up from 386,920 cases Sunday and 5,380 deaths Friday. The case total includes 27,110 infections listed as probable.
Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.
As of April 7, the date with the most recent complete data, 43 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 were admitted to Washington state hospitals.
Preliminary reports indicate average daily hospital admissions were steady at 47 in early April.
Out of the state’s total staffed intensive care unit beds (1,266) approximately 78.2% (990) were occupied by patients Sunday. Of those staffed ICU beds, 10.3% (130) held suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.
According to DOH data, King County, with the state’s highest population, continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 97,230 cases and 1,498 deaths.
Pierce County, second in population, is second in cases, with 46,351, and also the second-highest number of deaths, at 631.
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 31.7 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 567,666 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has the highest total number of reported cases and deaths of any nation.
More than 3.02 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 141 million.
Craig Sailor of The (Tacoma) News Tribune contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 20, 2021 at 1:44 PM.