3 new COVID-19 cases in Thurston County Friday brings total to 58
Thurston County Public Health and Social Services on Friday announced three new confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus.
The county total as of 3 p.m. was 58, with no deaths.
According to county data, the three newest confirmed positive cases here are two women in their 30s and a man in his 60s.
On Thursday, the county announced four new cases, which included a girl between the age of 10 and 20, the county’s first youth confirmed to have the disease.
When The Olympian asked a county spokesperson whether the girl has underlying conditions, the spokesperson replied that the only information the county is reporting is what’s available on its website. Information on the county website is limited to age range and gender.
Four of the first 58 patients in Thurston are in their 20s, seven are in their 30s, 13 are in their 40s, 12 are in their 50s, 18 are in their 60s, one is in his 70s, and two are in their 80s.
Out of the first 43 patients with confirmed COVID-19 in Thurston County, 18 percent had been hospitalized, Schelli Slaughter, director of county Public Health and Social Services, told county commissioners Tuesday.
The majority of the patients were self-isolating at home and recovering, Slaughter said.
Thurston County has now seen its confirmed case count rise from 14 to 58 in nine days. Local public health officials say they expected the increase, since testing capabilities have expanded.
Interim Thurston County Health Officer Dr. Diana Yu wrote in a letter to the community released Tuesday that she would expect to see the number of new cases declining in “the next 10 days” — presumably, that would be the end of next week.
Around the region
Pierce County confirmed 73 new COVID-19 cases Friday, growing its total to 571 with seven deaths. Pierce County lists its confirmed cases by geographic area here: https://www.tpchd.org/healthy-people/diseases/covid-19-pierce-county-cases/.
Mason County Public Health added two confirmed cases Thursday, bringing its total to 13. The county reports that none of its patients have been hospitalized.
Lewis County’s total remained at 10 Friday afternoon, and Grays Harbor County still had two confirmed cases total.
Around the state
The state Department of Health reports more than 6,966 cases statewide with 284 deaths. However, the state has acknowledged it’s struggling to keep data up-to-date due to technical difficulties. According to the DOH site, data was last updated the evening of April 2.
At that time, the state reported that 8% of more than 79,400 tests had been positive.
Around the country and world
The U.S. has seen more confirmed positive cases than any other country, Johns Hopkins University data show. New York City has been hit particularly hard with more than 1,867 deaths.
Friday, there were 277,800 cases confirmed nationwide — well over twice the number of cases in Italy, the country with the second-highest number of cases. However, 14,681 deaths from COVID-19 have occurred in Italy.
Nearly 1.1 million cases had been confirmed worldwide as of Friday evening.
How to limit the spread of COVID-19
▪ Stay home.
▪ If you have to go out in the community, keep a distance of 6 feet or more between you and other people.
▪ If you work, work from home if you can.
▪ Avoid contact with people who are sick.
▪ Wash your hands with soap and water, often.
▪ Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
▪ Cover your mouth/nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing.
▪ If you are sick, stay home and avoid close contact with others.
Source: Thurston County Public Health and Social Services.
This story was originally published April 3, 2020 at 4:09 PM.
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