Thurston County adds 2 more COVID-19 cases, updates map of cases by ZIP code
Thurston County Public Health and Social Services on Tuesday announced two new cases of COVID-19 and released its second weekly report with more in-depth data on local cases, this time including race and ethnicity.
The two latest cases were confirmed in a man and woman in their 40s and bring the total number of cases in the county to 94, with one death — a man in his 80s who had underlying conditions.
Of the 94 Thurston County residents with confirmed diagnoses, 16 have been hospitalized at some point, county data show. Three-quarters of those hospitalized have underlying conditions.
Public health officials believe older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
The county has classified 83 cases as “recovered” or “recovering,” meaning the person isn’t hospitalized and has been released from public health-ordered isolation. So, as of Tuesday, there were 11 county residents with active, confirmed cases of COVID-19.
This week’s in-depth local report includes data from cases reported through April 19, when 92 residents had tested positive.
Race and ethnicity breakdown
Recently, widespread calls for more comprehensive demographic data on coronavirus cases have mounted as available data shows disproportionate impacts on minority populations.
The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week released COVID-19 data that showed about 30% of people with cases for whom race was known were black — though race data was missing for 75% of cases. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates about 13% of Americans are black or African American.
An Associated Press analysis similarly found that “nearly one-third of those who have died are African American, with black people representing about 14% of the population in the areas covered in the analysis.”
The Washington State Department of Health began releasing a racial breakdown of cases and deaths April 11.
While race was unknown for 34% of Thurston County residents diagnosed with COVID-19 and ethnicity was unknown for 32%, the county reported an early take-away from its available data:
“Thurston County residents who identify as black, white and Hispanic are over-represented as a percent of COVID-19 confirmed cases when compared to the county’s total population,” the report reads.
Race is defined as the racial group or groups an individual says best describes them, and people are included in the “multiracial” group if they identify as being part of two or more racial groups, according to the county. “Other” is also an option. According to the report, Hispanic is defined as an ethnicity, and an individual is described as Hispanic or Non-Hispanic and can be of any race.
Five percent of the residents diagnosed with COVID-19 so far have identified as black or African American, according to the county data, while the same demographic represents 3% of the population.
People identifying as white represent 87% of diagnosed COVID-19 cases and 82% of the population.
People identifying as Hispanic represent 14% of cases and 9% of the county’s population.
Updated: Case map, by zip code
An updated map of confirmed cases in residents by zip code shows that five areas of Thurston County saw increases in the number of confirmed cases since last week: 98501, 98502, 98512, 98513, 98579.
The zip code with the highest number of cases recorded so far is 98513, in Lacey, which is the only zip code where 15 or more cases have been confirmed, according to the report. That zip code borders Pierce County, which is among the three hardest-hit counties in the state so far.
The only zip code without a confirmed case so far is 98576, which contains the city of Rainier.
So far, the county is still reporting no outbreaks in congregate care settings, such as long-term care facilities, jails, and homeless shelters.
Across the region, nation and globe
Pierce County was reporting 1,219 cases with 36 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon.
Lewis County Public Health & Social Services reported its third death Tuesday, a resident in their 70s who had been hospitalized with other underlying health conditions. The county has reported 22 total residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 so far.
Mason County had reported 22 confirmed cases as of Tuesday morning.
Grays Harbor County had announced 12 confirmed cases total.
The state Department of Health reported more than 12,280 cases statewide as of Monday night, with 682 deaths. Out of more than 145,000 tests statewide, 8.5% have come back positive.
Nationwide, more than 835,000 cases have been confirmed since Jan. 22, with more than 45,000 deaths, Johns Hopkins University data shows.
Globally, 2.6 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and more than 182,000 people have died from it.
This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 6:14 PM.
.jpg)