95 new Tri-Cities COVID cases reported in 1 day. Total now tops 30,000

The Tri-Cities COVID-19 cases are up sharply this week, with the Benton Franklin Health District reporting 95 new confirmed cases on Thursday alone.

They bring the total number of cases in the Tri-Cities area since the start of the pandemic to more than 30,000.

The increase comes as the Tri-Cities area continues to have COVID-19 vaccination rates significantly below the rest of Washington state.

Franklin County lags the state by 20 to 22 percentage points and Benton County lags by 13 to 14 percentage points. The gap is little changed since mid June.

Public health officials were still figuring out on Thursday whether the one-day spike to 59 new cases in Benton County and 36 in Franklin County is an anomaly.

There was a drop in testing as the drive-thru site at Columbia Basin College was closed for Independence Day July 4-5 and closed early other days due to the heat, which could have resulted in a backlog of testing.

The cases reported Thursday bring total confirmed cases for the week, starting with the weekend, to 45 per day.

Last week new cases averaged 32 per day, up from 31 the previous week and 23 before that.

Total cases confirmed with positive test results since the start of the pandemic total 30,067 in the Tri-Cities area, including 17,444 in Benton County and 12,623 in Franklin County.

The number of patients hospitalized locally for COVID-19 treatment continues to be in the mid-20s, up from numbers in the teens in the spring.

This week the Benton Franklin Health District has been reporting 24 to 25 COVID-19 patients in the hospital each day. As of Thursday, they accounted for 6% of all patients in the Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser hospitals.

Tri-Cities vaccination rates

In Benton County 38% of all people are fully vaccinated, compared to 51% of people statewide. In Franklin County the percentage drops to 30%.

The gap is slightly wider for people who have had at least one dose of the vaccine. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses several weeks apart to be fully vaccinated.

In In Benton County 42% of all people have at least one dose, compared to 56% of people statewide. In Franklin County the percentage drops to 34%.

The state is close to the goal set by Gov. Jay Inslee of 70% of ages 16 and older being vaccinated. He lifted most COVID-19 restrictions in the state June 30, even though the goal had not been met.

Statewide 67% of people 16 and older have been vaccinated, compared to 53% in Benton County and 47% in Franklin County.

Those percentages do not include some people vaccinated through federal programs, including the Veterans Administration. With those added, the statewide percentage increases to 69.4%, but percentages with federal program doses included are not available for individual counties.

COVID testing

Free drive-thru COVID-19 testing at Columbia Basin College in Pasco is dropping from service seven days a week to five days starting Friday, July 9.

The site will be open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays through Tuesdays at 3110 W. Argent Road.

The first closed days will be Wednesday July 14 and Thursday July 15.

Demand for testing has dropped and about half of tests now are ones required for traveling rather than for people with possible symptoms, according to Nikki Ostergaard, spokeswoman for the health district.

In December the Tri-Cities, with two drive-thru sites open, was averaging about 800 tests per day. Now the single drive-thru site is averaging about 200 tests a day.

The new schedule was set to cover days with highest demand from people with symptoms, and the same number of people should be accommodated, she said.

Other places where testing is available is posted at covid19.bfhd.wa.gov under “Find a COVID-19 Testing Site.

As demand at the site has dropped, the rate of positive test results there has increased, at least recently.

From June 20 to July 3, 11% of tests were positive, but public health officials say the percentage can vary week-to-week based on early closures of the testing site due to hot weather and holiday closures.

Statewide the most recent rate of positive tests available, for the week through June 28, was 2%.

COVID vaccine clinics

People not yet vaccinated have several options at pop-up clinics around the Tri-Cities through the weekend.

A variety of options are offered, from the parking lot of a cannabis store to a church to a weekly event that draws large crowds of Spanish speakers.

The clinics will have all three of the approved vaccines available, including the Pfizer vaccine which is the only one yet approved for 12 to 15 year olds.

No appointment is required and proof of residency and immigration status also are not required. Spanish speakers will be available.

Upcoming vaccine clinic times and locations in the next few days include:

▪ Ben Franklin Transit, 7109 W. Okanogan Place, Kennewick, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday.

▪ Richland Community Center, 500 Amon Park Drive, Richland, from 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday.

▪ West Highland United Methodist Church, 17 S. union St., Kennewick, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday.

▪ Green2Go, 214307 E. Highway 397, Finley, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

Customers with a Pineapple Points account who present a fully filled out original proof of vaccination at the cannabis store may receive $10 off a purchase of $20 or more. The offer is limited to two per customer.

▪ Pasco Flea Market, 3620 E. Lewis Place, Pasco, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

▪ The Columbia Basin College drive-thru testing site at 3110 W. Argent Road, Pasco, also will give vaccines 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Friday through Sunday. However, it sometimes closes early due to heat.

This story was originally published July 8, 2021 at 12:58 PM.