Dramatic drop in Tri-Cities COVID deaths. Subvariant now dominant in WA

Just one recent COVID-19 death was reported in the Tri-Cities area for the last week and reports of new cases continue to drop.

The single death is down from 17 COVID deaths announced just over a month ago during the last full week of February.

Confirmed new cases also are on the decline, despite a recent uptick in Franklin County that public health officials say is linked to the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell.

In part because of many cases at the prison, the community transmission level for Benton and Franklin counties is rated as “substantial,” with the rate of new cases in Franklin County more than three times higher than in Benton County.

Public health officials are keeping a close eye on BA.2 subvariant of the omicron strain of the coronavirus.

It has become the dominant source of COVID-19 in Washington state, accounting for 51% of new cases based on genetic sequencing of a sampling of positive test results.

A week ago it was 29% of cases and the week before that it was 9%.

BA.2 bears watching because it is more infectious that the previous omicron strain that caused the last wave of cases, said Rick Dawson, senior manager at the health district, on the Wednesday Kadlec on Call podcast.

However, the data is not showing it impacting hospitalizations, at least at this time, said Dr. Umair Shah, Washington state secretary of health.

“Overall things are better,” he said. “The case numbers, hospitalizations are better.”

Hospitalizations in the state are similar to the low point of summer 2021 and cases are nearly as low, he said.

Tri-Cities COVID deaths

The most recent Tri-Cities area COVID-19 death was a Benton County man in his 70s.

It brings deaths announced in March to 27, down from 43 deaths in February.

However, recent deaths for the month are higher than the average of 20 deaths per month for each of November, December and January, according to Benton Franklin Health District data.

The Benton Franklin Health District announces recent deaths once a week, usually on Thursdays, and there were five Thursdays in March.

The death announced this past week brings total deaths in the Tri-Cities area since the start of the pandemic to 669, including 458 residents of Benton County and 211 from Franklin County.

In the Tri-Cities, local public health officials verify that 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.

It can take several weeks for the district to receive and reconcile death information due to the reporting processes of medical facilities and coroner offices and the process of issuing and releasing death certificates.

Statewide, 12,510 residents have died of complications of COVID since the start of the pandemic, including 78 people added to the tally since last Friday, according to the Washington state Department of Health.

That is down from 99 deaths the previous week and 150 deaths reported the week before that.

Tri-Cities outbreaks, cases

The Tri-Cities area has no active outbreaks reported in businesses, schools, childcare centers or health care settings, according to the Unified Situation Report report prepared by the Benton Franklin Health District and Benton and Franklin County Emergency Management for March and released Thursday.

There was one outbreak in a long-term care facility, such as a nursing home, and another such facility was on a watch list.

However, 20% of the Connell prison’s population has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 30 days, with staff also ill, according to prison officials.

The case rate for Benton County is 17 new cases per 100,000 people over seven days and Franklin County’s rate is 64 new cases per 100,000 over seven days. The combined case rate for the two counties is 32.

Case rates and the rate of positive test results are considered to rank the community transmission level for each county.

Benton County is ranked as “moderate” and Franklin is ranked as “substantial,” increasing both counties combined to “substantial.”

Fewer people are getting tested at the free community test sites in Richland and at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, with the rate of positive test results also declining.

The rate of positive tests was 4.7% at the drive-up Pasco testing site and 3.3% at the walk-up site off George Washington Way in Richland, according to the Unified Situation Report.

More important, say public health officials, are hospitalization numbers, which indicate the amount of serious COVID-19 illnesses.

The most recent week of data available showed 11 people newly hospitalized with COVID-19 and just under 2% of beds in use for COVID-19 patients at the Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser hospitals.

Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, the area’s largest hospital, reported on Wednesday that it had six COVID-19 patients, none of them in the intensive care unit.

COVID vaccinations

People age 50 and older can now get a second booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine if it is at least four months after their initial dose.

The Washington state Department of Health updated its recommendation after guidance from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition people 12 and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised and those 18 and older who received a primary and booster dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine four months ago may receive a second booster dose.

“It’s a great way for people over 50 to get added protection, especially those with underlying medical conditions and those 65 and older,” said Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, the state’s chief science officer. “Boosters are safe and effective at preventing infection and severe illness.

To make an appointment for a vaccination or a booster shot, go to vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov or call 800-525-0127 and press #.

The free COVID-19 Vaccine Pop-up clinic at SuperMex in Pasco will continue on weekends through April because of the low rates in the Tri-Cities area for initial COVID-19 immunization shots and boosters.

The vaccine is available 2 to 6 pm. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays, although hours could change through the month. Gift cards worth $50 are available daily while they last to those getting their initial COVID-19 shots.

The Centers for Disease Control says that during the recent omicron surge, people who had received at least one booster shot were 21 times less likely to die from COVID-19 than those who were not vaccinated and seven times less likely to be hospitalized.

Vaccination rates in the Tri-Cities area have flattened, Dawson said.

Over the last week, the number of Benton County residents who had received their initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine increased by just 0.1 percentage points. In Franklin County there was a 0.2 percentage point increase.

It brings the percentage of vaccinated residents age 5 and older in Benton County to 59.4% and in Franklin County to 56.4%. That compares to 71.7% of Washington state residents.

In Washington state, 58% of ages 12 and older have received at least one booster dose.

That drops to 50% in Benton County and 43% in Franklin County, which is little changed from a week ago.

This story was originally published April 2, 2022 at 5:00 AM.