Coronavirus updates: State reaches 19,828 cases; man charged with relief fraud
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Sunday, May 24.
Updated at 3:55 p.m.
The Washington State Department of Heath on Sunday reported 243 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and six additional deaths.
Statewide totals are now at 19,828 cases and 1,061 deaths, up from 19,585 cases and 1,055 deaths on Saturday.
The total number of people who have been hospitalized in Washington state with a confirmed case of COVID-19 is 3,287. Eleven people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on May 16, the most recent date with complete data. March 23 had the highest number of admittances to date with 88. There are 56 hospitalizations without a hospital admission date available.
DOH is now reporting 326,593 tests have been conducted in Washington state with 6.1% coming back positive. Of the total confirmed cases, 5.4% have resulted in death.
King County continues to be the hardest hit with 7,783 cases and 547 deaths. Snohomish County has 2,895 cases and 135 deaths while Yakima County has 2,812 cases and 233 deaths. Pierce County reported 16 new cases and one death on Sunday to bring its totals to 1,867 cases and is 74 deaths.
Garfield County remains the only county in the state without a case. There are 72 cases that haven’t been assigned a county.
Pierce County reports 16 new cases
Updated at 2:20 p.m.
Pierce County reported 16 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday and one additional death, a Puyallup woman in her 80s with underlying health conditions.
The county has now reported 1,867 cases and is 74 deaths.
Daily case totals and death information can change as new information becomes available during disease investigation. Adjustments can include correcting duplicate data, assigning a case to another county or learning a test was a false positive.
As of May 22, the Washington State Department of Heath is reporting that 23,462 Pierce County residents have now been tested with 7.4% of tests coming back positive. Those numbers don’t include negative tests from long-term care facilities or the approximately 76,000 tests not yet assigned to a county, which means the positive test rate is likely lower.
The county’s data estimates that 1,323 of the confirmed cases have recovered while 544 remain active.
Sunday’s geographical case totals are listed below with Saturday’s totals in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 47 (no change)
▪ Central Pierce County: 135 (134)
▪ East Pierce County: 51 (no change)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 87 (86)
▪ Frederickson: 64 (no change)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 52 (no change)
▪ Graham: 55 (54)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 7 (no change)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 46 (no change)
▪ Lakewood: 193 (192)
▪ Parkland: 104 (102)
▪ Puyallup: 134 (132)
▪ South Hill: 102 (no change)
▪ South Pierce County: 38 (no change)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 21 (no change)
▪ Spanaway: 64 (no change)
▪ Tacoma: 596 (591)
▪ University Place: 62 (60)
▪ Unknown: 9 (no change)
Daily reports include cases received by 11:59 p.m. the previous day.
Washington state passes 19,500 cases
Updated at 8:40 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health reported 320 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths Saturday.
Statewide totals have reached 19,585 cases and 1,055 deaths, up from 19,265 cases and 1,050 deaths Friday.
The department’s COVID-19 data dashboard says total deaths are at 1,057, but two deaths “have data to still be completed.”
King County continues to be the hardest hit, with 7,741 total cases and 545 deaths, while Snohomish County has 2,889 cases and 135 deaths and Yakima County has 2,719 cases and 83 deaths.
Pierce County reported 14 new cases Saturday, bringing its totals to 1,851 cases and 73 deaths.
Garfield County remains the only county in the state without a confirmed case, while eight other counties are reporting 10 or fewer cases. There are 17 counties in the state that have confirmed more than 100 cases. There are 54 cases that have not been assigned to a county.
There have been 316,276 tests conducted in Washington, with positive results now at 6.2%.
Seven more counties in the state were given approval Saturday to move to the second phase of Gov. Jay Inslee’s reopening plan.
Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman approved variance applications for Cowlitz, Grant, Island, Jefferson, Mason, Pacific and San Juan counties to move forward, according to a release from the state Department of Health.
Of the state’s 39 counties, 21 — including the seven approved Saturday, and Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Garfield, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Lincoln, Pend Orielle, Skamania, Spokane, Stevens, Wahkiakum and Whitman — have been approved to move to Phase 2.
Clallam, Kitsap and Thurston counties are eligible to apply for a variance, while applications from Kittitas and Clark are on pause pending discussion about outbreak investigations.
Counties must “have an average of less than 10 new cases per 100,000 residents over a 14-day period,” according to the state DOH.
Applications require support from the local health officer, local board of health, local hospitals and the county commission or council, and must include plans for testing, case investigations, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine procedures, and outbreak response procedures.
Man charged in federal court with coronavirus relief fraud
Updated at 8:40 a.m.
A suburban Seattle software engineer submitted false loan applications seeking over $1.5 million meant for businesses financially impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, according to federal court documents.
Baoke Zhang, 35, was charged with wire fraud and bank fraud, according to a complaint filed in the Western District of Washington that was unsealed Friday. He was arrested Friday, The Seattle Times reported.
Zhang allegedly submitted loan applications to lenders and financial institutions in April for funds guaranteed by the Small Business Association though the Paycheck Protection Program. The program, under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, provides forgivable loans to small businesses to use for payroll and other expenses.
According to court documents, Zhang created fake information technology companies for his applications. His applications said his business had been running for at least a year, but investigators found he had filed for business licenses for each company in April.
A representative for a lender also sent a message to an email address associated with Zhang’s application asking about discrepancies in his documentation. The recipient replied that his circumstances had changed and that he wanted to withdraw his application.
Zhang never received funding, according to court documents. It wasn’t immediately known if he has a lawyer.
Inslee letter requests extension of National Guard mission
Updated at 8:40 a.m.
Gov. Jay Inslee sent a letter on Friday to the Trump administration requesting an extension of authority and additional funding for Washington National Guard employment in support of COVID-19 pandemic emergency response operations through July 31, 2020.
The letter reads, in part:
“This nationally declared emergency is causing second and third order effects that will last long beyond the immediate threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. … Current Washington National Guard-fielded support includes Community Based Testing Sites (CBTS), building testing kits, and food bank distribution support. Additionally, National Guard planners assist in coordination with our COVID-19 Food Security Team and other agencies to meet the health and welfare needs of Washingtonians through our phased re-opening plan.
“Current National Guard response missions are absolutely critical to the state’s efforts to sustain a safe and responsible opening of our economy. The state of Washington continues to need the National Guard’s unique military administrative, logistics, and operational support to COVID-19 pandemic missions.”
More than 1,200 soldiers and airmen are supporting the state’s COVID-19 response. As of May 20, the Washington National Guard has delivered more than 1 million meals to struggling families at food banks across the state, tested nearly 2,300 people at community-based testing sites, and built more than 30,000 test kits.
Chehalis Centralia Railroad and museum announces season start date
Updated at 8:40 a.m.
The Chehalis-Centralia Railroad will begin weekend excursions every Saturday and Sunday starting June 20 through September 26.
On June 20 and 21, the Railroad will feature special Father’s Day games, drawings and prizes. On each excursion a prize will be awarded to the youngest and oldest dad and the dad with the most kids.
Throughout the summer trains will depart the Chehalis Depot at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. each Saturday and 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Sundays. The popular Saturday evening Dinner Trains will be offered July 11 through August 29 at 5 p.m.
In compliance with Washington State Phase 2 and 3 guidelines and restrictions, trains will be limited to 50-75% capacity and the social distancing requirement will be enforced. Extra measures will be taken with crew health screenings, masks and by sanitizing our facilities to minimize the COVID virus risk.
Parking is free. Online reservations are required until further notice. No walk-ups at this time. Dinner train and Murder Mystery Dinner Trains are limited this year. Reservations can be made at SteamTrainRide.com or call 360-748-9593.
This story was originally published May 24, 2020 at 8:51 AM with the headline "Coronavirus updates: State reaches 19,828 cases; man charged with relief fraud."
