COVID deaths still being reported in Tri-Cities, even as case rates continue dropping

The rate of confirmed new COVID-19 cases in the Tri-Cities area continues to fall, but deaths from the disease are still being reported.

The Benton Franklin Health District reported three more recent deaths this week for a total of 672 deaths of residents in the two counties due to complications of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

The most recent deaths included two women in their 90s, one living in Benton County and the other in Franklin County.

In addition, a Benton County man in his 60s died.

The Benton Franklin Health District announces recent deaths once a week.

The deaths announced this week were the first for April and could indicate a continuing declining trend in the number of recent deaths.

In March, 27 recent deaths were reported and there were 43 deaths in February.

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, 12,566 residents have died of complications of COVID since the start of the pandemic, including 56 people added to the tally since last Friday, according to the Washington state Department of Health.

That is down from 78 deaths the previous week and 99 deaths reported the week before that.

Tri-Cities COVID cases

The new case rate for the Tri-Cities area continues to drop.

The combined new case rate for Benton and Franklin counties is 20 new cases per 100,000 people in seven days, down from 32 a week ago and 68 the prior week.

The current community transmission rate, which considers both new case rates and percentage of positive test results, is “moderate,” down from “substantial” last week.

Public health officials watch hospitalization rates more closely, now that new case rates are less reliable since so many people use at home COVID-19 test kits.

Only laboratory testing results, such as from the Pasco drive-thru testing site and Richland walk-up site, are included in new case rate data.

The Tri-Cities area hospitals reported to public health officials that just under 2% of all patients had COVID-19, according to the most recent data available.

The percentage includes both those admitted for COVID treatment and also those who were admitted for other reasons but also had COVID.

COVID-19 patients require more hospital resources and precautions, no matter why they are in the hospital, because the disease is infectious.

A total of 11 patients were admitted to the hospitals in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser for COVID-19 treatment in the last week of March, the most recent week for which data was available.

That matched the admissions of the previous week.

The BA.2 subvariant of omicron now accounts for 76% of all cases in the state of Washington, up from 51% a week ago.

It is more infectious than the initial type of the omicron coronavirus.

Tri-Cities COVID prevention

People who have had a severe allergic reaction to a COVID vaccine and are at high risk for severe disease may be eligible for the thousands of doses of Evusheld now available in Washington state, says the Washington state Department of Health.

Those who are immunocompromised also may be eligible for the drug, which is given by injection.

It was authorized for use in the United States four months ago, but was initially in such short supply that it was very difficult to obtain.

AstraZeneca’s Evusheld is a monoclonal antibody that can provide protection against COVID-19 before infection.

Those who may be eligible for it should talk to their health care provider.

“It could be a game-changer for those who need extra protection,” said Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, the Department of Health chief science officer.

The number of people ages 5 and older who have received their initial COVID-19 vaccinations in Benton and Franklin counties increased by 0.2 percentage points in each county over the last week.

Statewide 71.8% of people old enough to vaccinated have completed their initial doses, according to the Washington state Department of Health.

That drops to 59.6% in Benton County and 56.6% in Franklin County.

Of the Washington state residents eligible for a booster shot because they are 12 or older, 58.4% have received at least one booster.

In Benton County that drops to 50.6% and in Franklin County to 42.6%, which is little changed from the previous week.

This story was originally published April 9, 2022 at 5:00 AM.