Coronavirus updates: Washington state passes 275K total cases, nearing 3,700 deaths
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Tuesday, Jan. 12.
Pierce County reports 143 new cases, 5 deaths
Updated 3 p.m.
Pierce County reported 143 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and five additional deaths.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department wrote on Twitter the case count is “likely an undercount due to a lab processing delay with the state reporting system.”
The deaths reported included a Central Pierce County woman in her 90s, a Lakewood man in his 70s, a Tacoma man in his 70s, a Frederickson woman in her 60s and an East Pierce County man in his 60s. All had underlying health conditions.
The county’s totals are now at 28,725 cases and 339 deaths since the first confirmed case was reported in March.
The county has reported 4,005 cases in the past 14 days and its 14-day case rate per 100,000 is now 444. With a six-day data lag required in the state, the county’s case rate per 100,000 is 395.3. Average cases per day in the past 14 days are at 286.1.
There are an estimated 7,704 confirmed cases still active in the county.
Testing is available at various sites in the county. More information on testing sites is available on the health department’s website.
GEOGRAPHIC TOTALS
Tuesday’s geographic case totals for Pierce County are listed below with previous day’s total in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 812 (808)
▪ Central Pierce County: 1,361 (1,355)
▪ East Pierce County: 1,237 (1,223)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 1,216 (1,217)
▪ Frederickson: 1,135 (1,131)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 924 (920)
▪ Graham: 991 (989)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 269 (267)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 1,000 (998)
▪ Lakewood: 2,297 (2,283)
▪ Parkland: 1,394 (1,385)
▪ Puyallup: 1,720 (1,715)
▪ South Hill: 1,700 (1,691)
▪ South Pierce County: 880 (875)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 399 (394)
▪ Spanaway: 1,365 (1,361)
▪ Tacoma: 8,201 (8,157)
▪ University Place: 971 (970)
▪ Unknown: 853 (844)
Madigan launches hotline to provide vaccination updates
Updated 11 a.m.
Madigan Army Medical Center has launched a hotline to provide updates about COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
The hotline can be reached at 253-968-4744.
The military hospital, located on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, began distribution of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in December to prioritized groups, including frontline health care workers and JBLM emergency services personnel, according to a release.
“Currently, Madigan and I Corps are following the DoD priority list by vaccinating healthcare workers, emergency response personnel, such as law enforcement, firefighters and deploying Service Members plus a select few others that are pre-approved by an exception to policy by I Corps leadership,” the release says. “Locations of the vaccination efforts are at Madigan and at the American Lake Conference Center.”
Those currently being vaccinated include personnel “identified in the DoD priority list of Phase 1.”
Phases are listed in the release as follows:
▪ Phase 1A: Healthcare workers, emergency services, and public safety.
▪ Phase 1B: Critical national capability personnel, as well as other critical and essential support personnel.
▪ Phase 2: High-risk patients.
▪ Phase 3: The general healthy patient population (including non-enrolled Tricare beneficiaries such as Tricare-for-Life members).
“This means that although other facilities, organizations, or the state may be more widely providing vaccinations to those outside these prioritized groups, Madigan is not yet doing so in compliance with the DoD distribution plan, our supply, and our volume of prioritized individuals to be vaccinated,” the release says.
“We are eager to vaccinate as much of our population as possible, however, given the limited manufacturer supply, the COVID-19 vaccine is currently not available to Madigan’s general patient population at this time. We are making the first inroads into the next phase of distribution by preparing to immunize high-risk patients should they choose to receive it once we are supplied with sufficient vaccine.”
Until wider distribution is available, patients are asked to call Madigan’s new hotline or visit its Facebook page for vaccination updates.
State reports 5,091 cases over weekend, nearing 3,700 deaths
Updated 9 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health reported 5,091 new cases of COVID-19 and one death Monday, in its latest count since Saturday.
The state no longer updates the case count on its dashboard on Sundays.
Deaths are no longer reported on weekends.
Statewide totals have reached 276,686 cases and 3,699 deaths, up from 271,595 cases and 3,698 deaths Saturday. The new case total includes 11,374 cases that are listed as probable.
Previous case and death counts are revised daily by the DOH.
King County continues to report the state’s highest counts for cases (70,059), hospitalizations (4,475) and deaths (1,105).
Pierce County reported 296 new cases and four deaths Monday, bringing its totals to 28,583 cases and 334 deaths since the first confirmed case was reported in March.
Spokane County (29,176 cases, 379 deaths), Snohomish County (25,186 cases, 419 deaths) and Yakima County (22,005 cases, 334 deaths) have all reported more than 22,000 cases and 330 deaths.
Each of the state’s 39 counties have reported positive cases and all but five have reported more than 200. Only two counties have not reported a virus-related death.
More than 4 million tests have been administered in the state since the pandemic began.
Pierce County reports 296 new cases, 4 deaths
Updated 2:30 p.m.
Pierce County reported 296 new COVID-19 cases Monday and four additional deaths.
The deaths reported included in a Lake Tapps/Sumner area woman in her 80s with underlying health conditions, as well as a South Hill man in his 80s, an East Pierce County man in his 70s and a Tacoma man in his 70s. It is unknown if any of the three men had underlying health conditions.
The county’s totals are now at 28,583 cases and 334 deaths since the first confirmed case was reported in March.
“We’re starting to see an increase in cases,” the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department wrote on Twitter. “It’s too early yet to say if the overall positivity rate is increasing. The 14-day average offers the most accurate look at current COVID-19 disease burden in Pierce County.”
The county has reported 4,069 cases in the past 14 days and its 14-day case rate per 100,000 is now 451.1. With a six-day data lag required in the state, the county’s case rate per 100,000 is 405.9. Average cases per day in the past 14 days are at 290.6.
There are an estimated 10,876 confirmed cases still active in the county.
Testing is available at various sites in the county. More information on testing sites is available on the health department’s website.
GEOGRAPHIC TOTALS
Monday’s geographic case totals for Pierce County are listed below with Sunday’s totals in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 808 (801)
▪ Central Pierce County: 1,355 (1,337)
▪ East Pierce County: 1,223 (1,214)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 1,217 (1,192)
▪ Frederickson: 1,131 (1,124)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 920 (919)
▪ Graham: 989 (977)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 267 (265)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 998 (984)
▪ Lakewood: 2,283 (2,261)
▪ Parkland: 1,385 (1,375)
▪ Puyallup: 1,715 (1,706)
▪ South Hill: 1,691 (1,674)
▪ South Pierce County: 875 (866)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 394 (no change)
▪ Spanaway: 1,361 (1,352)
▪ Tacoma: 8,157 (8,059)
▪ University Place: 970 (960)
▪ Unknown: 844 (843)
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll on COVID-19 protocols: ‘Ain’t no time to let up’
Updated 9 a.m.
U.S. representative from Seattle area tests positive following lockdown at Capitol
Updated 9 a.m.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington’s seventh congressional district, which includes Seattle, wrote Monday evening in a Twitter thread she had received a positive COVID-19 test following last week’s lockdown at the Capitol.
Jayapal was “locked down in a secured room at the Capitol where several Republicans not only cruelly refused to wear a mask but recklessly mocked colleagues and staff who offered them one,” she wrote.
“Only hours after Trump incited a deadly assault on our Capitol, many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum COVID-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic — creating a superspreader event ON TOP of a domestic terrorist attack,” her thread continued.
“Any Member who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy. I’m calling for every single Member who refuses to wear a mask in the Capitol to be fined and removed from the floor by the Sergeant at Arms.”
Jayapal continued to say she is isolating per the Capitol Physician’s instructions, but would continue to work “to the best of my ability because the deep urgency of our many crises is paramount.”
“I share the outrage and anger of those across America who have watched Trump fail to combat this raging pandemic and refuse to take care of Americans who are suffering, dying, and devastated,” she wrote.
“I will not rest until I do everything in my power to remove this President from office.”
Debbie Cockrell contributed to this report.
This story was originally published January 12, 2021 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Coronavirus updates: Washington state passes 275K total cases, nearing 3,700 deaths."
