Coronavirus updates: State passes 52k cases; AG sues over CARES Act funding
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Sunday, July 26.
Updated at 7:35 p.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Sunday reported 786 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and seven additional deaths.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 52,635 cases and 1,501 deaths, up from 51,849 cases and 1,494 deaths on Saturday.
Thirty-five people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on July 18, the most recent date with complete data. March 23 saw 89 people admitted, the highest number to date during the pandemic.
Washington state has conducted 919,347 coronavirus tests. On July 18, the most recent date for which data is complete, 9,493 specimens were collected statewide, with 4.9% testing positive.
The test numbers reflect only polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which are given to patients while the virus is presumably still active in the body.
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 14,417 cases and 644 deaths. Yakima County has the second-highest numbers, with 9,629 cases and 194 deaths. Pierce County reported 92 new cases Sunday and no additional deaths. County totals are now 4,411 cases and 106 deaths.
All counties in Washington have cases. Four of them have case counts of less than 10.
Pierce County reports 92 new cases
Updated at 3:45 p.m.
Pierce County on Sunday reported 92 new COVID-19 cases and no additional deaths.
County totals are now 4,411 cases and 106 deaths since the first case in the pandemic was recorded March 6.
The Tacoma Pierce-County Health Department has reported 1,212 cases in the past 14 days. The 14-day case rate per 100,000 people is 134.4. The average cases per day over the last 14 days is 86.6.
Daily totals for cases and deaths can change as the county receives new information, finds duplicate data or is assigned cases originally attributed to other counties.
The county htion.as seen record daily lately with 23% of cases among 20-29 year olds who make up 14% of the population and 40% of cass among 20-39 year old who make up 27% of the population.
Testing is available at various sites in the county. For more information on other local testing sites, go to www.tpchd.org/covidtest.
Sunday’s geographical case totals are listed below with previous day’s totals in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 108 (107)
▪ Central Pierce County: 293 (289)
▪ East Pierce County: 114 (112)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 176 (173)
▪ Frederickson: 166 (163)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 111 (110)
▪ Graham: 129 (124)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 21 (no change)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 138 (135)
▪ Lakewood: 418 (413)
▪ Parkland: 250 (242)
▪ Puyallup: 282 (280)
▪ South Hill: 231 (2330)
▪ South Pierce County: 90 (87)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 50 (no change)
▪ Spanaway: 169 (166)
▪ Tacoma: 1,426 (1,388)
▪ University Place: 195 (193)
▪ Unknown: 44 (39)
State reports 1,025 new cases Saturday
Updated at 9:20 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health on Saturday reported 1,025 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and no deaths.
Pierce County reported 95 new cases Saturday and two new deaths. Pierce County had a total of 117 deaths likely caused by COVID-19 as of Saturday, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 51,849 cases and 1,494 deaths, up from 50,824 cases and down from 1,495 deaths on Friday.
Thirty-one people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Thursday, July 16, the most recent date with complete data. March 23 saw 89 people admitted, the highest number to date during the pandemic.
Washington state has conducted 903,674 coronavirus tests. On July 16, the most recent date for which data is complete, 15,277 specimens were collected statewide, with 4.9% testing positive. That compares with 11,913 specimens and a 4.1% positive rate on June 16; 2,891 specimens and a 4.1% positive rate on May 16; and 4,162 specimens and a 7.4% positive rate on April 16.
The test numbers reflect only polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which are given to patients while the virus is presumably still active in the body.
King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 14,249 cases and 644 deaths. Yakima County has the second-highest numbers, with 9,557 cases and 194 deaths.
All counties in Washington have cases. Four of them have case counts of less than 10.
Federal judge rejects challenge to Inslee’s emergency orders
Updated at 9:20 a.m.
A federal judge Friday denied a request for a preliminary injunction against Gov. Jay Inslee’s emergency coronavirus orders that had been brought by some Republican state lawmakers.
Filed in May by those legislators and other plaintiffs, the legal challenge contended “the emergency has been contained” and that ongoing restrictions for businesses, workers and residents weren’t legally justified.
The legal challenge — one of several seeking to stop Inslee’s use of emergency powers to slow the spread of the virus — was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
In a court order dated Friday, Judge Benjamin Settle wrote that federal lawsuits against state officials are allowed in certain instances where the state official being sued has a connection with the enforcement of an allegedly unconstitutional act.
But attorneys for Inslee persuasively argued that while the governor issues emergency orders, Settle wrote, it is other officials who actually enforce those orders.
Since the pandemic began in March, there has been little enforcement of Inslee’s emergency orders.
Settle on Friday also denied a second legal challenge seeking a preliminary injunction against Inslee’s emergency powers. The judge rejected that challenge — brought by Republican gubernatorial candidate and anti-tax activist Tim Eyman and some other plaintiffs — on similar grounds.
The two orders come roughly a week after a judge in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Washington rejected a lawsuit by a water park in Chelan County seeking to block Inslee’s emergency restrictions on businesses.
The conservative Freedom Foundation — a frequent opponent of the governor who is representing Slidewaters water park — is appealing that decision.
AG sues U.S. Education Department over CARES Act funding
Updated at 9:20 a.m.
Washington is the latest state to sue the U.S. Department of Education for the way it is distributing emergency relief funds from the CARES Act to schools.
On Thursday, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a motion in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington requesting that the court issue a preliminary injunction in the case, The Seattle Times reported.
Ferguson argued the Education Department has created new rules for disbursing the funds that would require public school districts to share a larger portion of the money with private schools.
Private schools generally enroll a much lower percentage of low-income students, and often have endowment funds, so their need is not as great, Ferguson argued.
The Education Department created two new formulas for distributing CARES money. Under the traditional formula, private schools in Seattle would have received about 3.4% of the federal money allocated to Seattle; Seattle public schools would have received the rest.
But under one of the new formulas the Education Department says districts must use, private schools in Seattle would receive about 19% of the CARES Act money.
Using the second formula, Seattle public schools would only be able to use the money at Title I schools. Title I is a federal program for high-poverty schools, but not all high-poverty schools in Seattle participate, for example.
This story was originally published July 26, 2020 at 9:18 AM with the headline "Coronavirus updates: State passes 52k cases; AG sues over CARES Act funding."
