Highest number of new COVID deaths in Tri-Cities in five months. 2 were in their 40s.

Nine more people have died of complications of COVID-19 in the Tri-Cities area, as the number of new cases reported each week continue to climb, the Benton Franklin Health District announced Friday.

Two of the deaths were women in their 40s.

It is the highest number of deaths announced since March 12, when 10 deaths were added to the Tri-Cities area count. The local health district has been releasing information on deaths weekly, on Fridays, this year.

So far this month 16 deaths have been announced.

In June, there were 12 deaths and 10 in July.

The most recent deaths included four residents of Franklin County — two women in their 40s, a man in his 50s and a woman in her 60s.

Five Benton County residents also died, including two men and one woman in their 60s, a woman in her 70s and a man in his 90s.

Since the start of the pandemic, 365 Tri-Cities area residents have died from the coronavirus, including 243 Benton County residents and 122 Franklin County residents.

They include 141 people who were 80 or older; 100 in their 70s; and 76 in their 60s.

Also, there have been deaths of 29 people in their 50s; 14 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, 6,330 deaths due to the coronavirus have been reported since the start of the pandemic, including 115 deaths announced in the past week.

Of the people who have died statewide, just 66 were known to be vaccinated against COVID, including one resident of the Tri-Cities area. At least 31 of those lived in long-term care facilities for the elderly, according to the latest state report issued Aug. 11 on vaccination breakthrough cases.

A total of 5,879 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.

Tri-Cities COVID cases

The Tri-Cities area had an average of 234 new confirmed COVID-19 cases for the past week, starting with the weekend.

That compares to an average of 203 new cases confirmed per day the previous week.

On Friday the reported new cases dropped to 171, with Friday counts often lower because the free drive-thru testing clinic at Columbia Basin College off Argent Road in Pasco is closed Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The highest new case rates in Benton and Franklin counties are being seen in adults ages 20 to 39, said Dr. Amy Person, health officer for Benton and Franklin counties.

For the two counties combined, 1,471 new cases per 100,000 people ages 20 to 39 were reported over two weeks.

The second highest new case rate for the two counties was 963 new cases per 100,000 teens ages 15 to 19 in two weeks.

Benton County’s latest case rate for all ages is 890 new cases per 100,000 people in two weeks and Franklin County’s latest case rate is 899 new cases per 100,000 in two weeks.

Benton County’s case rates reported the week of Aug. 16 week exceeded its previous high rate of 816 reached this past winter. Franklin County’s peak case rate, also from the past winter, is 1,209.

Public health officials attribute the high case rates in the Tri-Cities area to the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus and vaccination rates that lag the rest of the state.

Statewide 63% of those eligible are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, compared to 49% in Benton County and just under 43% in Franklin County. People must be at least 12 to receive the vaccine.

The new cases reported Friday bring the total for the Tri-Cities are since the start of the pandemic to 36,326, including 21,600 cases in Benton County and 14,726 in Franklin County.

Hospital cases

Across the state hospital admissions for COVID treatment are at their highest levels to-date, according to the Washington state Department of Health.

Both the total number of COVID patients and those being treated in intensive care units are higher across the state than in the previous high point in the winter.

The number of people hospitalized locally for COVID-19 treatment was in the 100s for the second time this week.

The peak COVID hospitalization census of 104 patients was reached on Monday and Friday 103 people were hospitalized locally for COVID treatment.

The winter peak was 74 patients being treated in Benton and Franklin county hospitals at the end of December.

The 103 patients on Friday accounted for about one in four of all 401 patients in the Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser hospitals that day.

Gift cards for vaccination

The first 100 people who get the free COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic at Columbia Basin College in Pasco on Thursday, Aug. 26, will also receive a $50 gift card, courtesy of the CBC Foundation.

Shots of the Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be given from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the T Building.

Enter the campus at Argent Road and Saraceno Way and park in the H Building parking lot.

Vaccines will be available for people as young as 12 and Spanish and English speakers will be on hand.

The event is sponsored by the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce and CBC Student Rec & Wellness, with Columbia Basin Health Association administering the vaccine.

More places where vaccine is available are posted at vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov.

This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 3:41 PM.