Thurston County reports 12 new COVID-19 cases, week’s total 62

On Thursday, 12 people in Thurston County tested positive for COVID-19, bringing this week’s case total to 62.

Thurston County Public Health and Social Services data show the cases are in:

• A girl between the ages of 0-9 years-old;
• Two boys between the ages of 10-19 years-old;
• Three women in their 30s;
• A man in his 40s;
• Three men in their 50s;
• A woman in her 60s; and
• A man in his 70s.

As the case count continues to rise, Thurston County Health Officer, Dr. Dimyana Abdelmalek has urged school districts to keep their buildings closed for the fall term. Olympia, Tumwater and North Thurston H=have all made the decision to start the 2020-2021 school year fully online.

In Thurston County, 640 people have tested positive for COVID-19. Of those who have tested positive, 308 —roughly 48 percent— of those diagnosed are considered by the county to be “recovered” or “recovering,” meaning they are no longer under public health isolation.

Since the first case was announced on March 11, 55 people have been hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment. Wednesday, the county added nine hospitalizations to the count after the Infectious Disease team within TCPHSS reviewed data on hospitalizations.

This week, the number of people who have died due to COVID-19 went up by two. On Tuesday, a man in his 60s who had underlying conditions passed away and then on Wednesday a man in his 90s is believed to have died as a result of a COVID-19 infection, although the county is still waiting to receive his death certificate for verification. 8 people in the county have died from COVID-19 infections so far.

In regards to cases traced back to three weekend barbecues and an out-of-state baseball tournament that took place at the end of June, Thurston County spokesperson Meghan Porter explained in an email to the Olympian “there is a lot we don’t know so it’s just a suspected exposure, not a verified exposure.” Porter added the county would need to know more about the events to determine if they were “definitively the site of infection.”

IN THE REGION

• Pierce County reported 112 new cases of COVID-19 and 2 new deaths stemming from the disease. In the county, 4,784 people have been diagnosed with the disease and 115 people have died from it.
• Lewis County reported 7 new cases Thursday. Of the new patients, one is under age 10, two are in their 20s, two are in their 30s and two are in their 50s. The new cases have brought the county’s overall case total to 180 with three deaths.
• Mason County reported 6 new cases. The county reports there are 56 active cases currently with a total of 162 cases and one death.
• Grays Harbor County reported a potential exposure at North Beach Junior/Senior High School, saying duirng the month of July there were multiple events where individuals were at the school and later tested positive for COVID-19. The county urges anyone who has been to the school to quarantine and get tested if symptoms begin to manifest. The county has reported 88 cases and one death so far.

AROUND THE STATE NATION AND WORLD

• Washington State’s Department of Health is reporting 55,803 COVID-19 cases and 1,564 people have died from it.
• In the U.S., nearly 4.5 million people have tested positive for the disease and 151,794 people have died as a result, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
• Globally, over 17 million people have been diagnosed with the disease and 669,701 people have died form it.

This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 5:44 PM.