COVID hospital patient counts rise to near Tri-Cities record. More deaths reported

Three more Tri-Cities area residents have died of COVID-19, the Benton Franklin Health District announced Friday.

The number of people hospitalized locally for COVID-19 continued to increase, with 70 people being treated for the disease in Benton and Franklin county hospitals as of Friday.

It is the most people being treated for COVID-19 since the end of December, when there was one day that month when the COVID patient count increased into the 70s.

New daily cases also continue to increase, with an average of 152 patients reported each day for the last two weeks in Benton and Franklin counties.

The most recent deaths were all men — a Benton County man in his 80s and Franklin County men in their 70s and 90s.

Deaths so far this month are on pace to be close to the number of COVID-19 deaths in the previous three months.

In July, 10 Tri-Cities area residents died from COVID, with 12 deaths in June and nine in May. The local health district announces recent deaths once a week, on Fridays.

Since the start of the pandemic, 352 Tri-Cities area residents have died from the coronavirus, including 234 Benton County residents and 118 Franklin County residents.

They include 140 people who were 80 or older; 96 in their 70s; and 71 in their 60s.

Also, there have been deaths of 28 people in their 50s; 12 in their 40s; two in their 30s; one in their 20s; and two people younger than 20.

Local public health officials verify that the deaths are due to COVID complications by checking for a positive test result and that a coronavirus infection was named as a primary cause of death on the death certificate.

In all of Washington state, 6,155 deaths due to the coronavirus have been reported since the start of the pandemic, including 77 deaths in the past two weeks.

Of the people who have died statewide, just 52 were known to be vaccinated against COVID and at least 27 of those lived in long-term care facilities for the elderly, according to the latest state report issued July 28 on vaccination breakthrough cases.

A total of 4,241 Washington residents who were fully vaccinated later developed “breakthrough” cases of COVID, according to the report. However, symptoms for vaccinated people are usually much milder than for those who have not been vaccinated.

In Benton and Franklin counties, about 4% to 5% of current cases appear to be in fully vaccinated people, according to the Benton Franklin Health District.

Tri-Cities cases

New daily cases being reported this month exceed those reported in summer 2020 and are as high as those reported in mid-January of this year, when few people were fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Public health officials blame the new delta variant, which is more easily spread among people, and a COVID-19 vaccination rate that lags the state.

This past week, starting with the weekend, 1,277 new confirmed cases were reported for an average of 182 reported per day.

However, last week’s data was incomplete, with some new cases not reported until the week just ended.

For the two weeks combined, an average of 152 cases per day were reported, up from 86 new cases per day two weeks ago.

The two-week new case rate for Benton and Franklin counties combined, as reported Friday by the health district, was 567 new cases per 100,000 people. Last summer the case rate peaked at 546.

It is still lower than the peak case rate for the two counties combined over the past winter of 933 new cases per 100,000 people in two weeks.

COVID hospital patients

The 70 people hospitalized for COVID-19 as of Friday in hospitals in Benton and Franklin counties was up from 64 at the start of the week.

Four months ago, just 14 Tri-Cities area residents were hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment and two months ago 25 were hospitalized.

The 70 people hospitalized for COVID -19 treatment Friday accounted for nearly 18% of all hospital patients in the Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser hospitals.

Hospitals report that almost all of their most seriously ill COVID patients have not been vaccinated.

Tri-Cities vaccination

The Washington state Department of Health reports that almost 53% of all residents statewide have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Of those eligible for the vaccine — those ages 12 and older — 62% are fully vaccinated.

Those numbers drop in Benton County to 40% of all people fully vaccinated and 48% of people who are eligible fully vaccinated.

In Franklin County just 32% of all residents are fully vaccinated, with 41% of people eligible fully vaccinated.

The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines require two doses several weeks apart to be fully vaccinated.

Free COVID-19 vaccine is widely available at pharmacies, many of which take walk-ins, and at doctor’s offices and clinics.

This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 2:41 PM.