Coronavirus updates: State reaches 141,260 cases
Updated at 10 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health reported 1,717 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Saturday, according to its COVID-19 data dashboard.
State totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus were reported at 139,543 cases and 2,619 deaths Friday.
Total cases increased to 141,260 Saturday. The department no longer reports deaths on weekends.
The state’s data shows King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 37,631 cases and 847 deaths. Pierce is now second, with 14,228 cases, though the county health department’s case number differs due to reporting lags. Yakima County has 12,815 cases and 292 deaths.
John Hopkins University data as of Saturday showed 12,051,253 cases and 255,588 deaths have been reported in the U.S. The data showed 57,985,648 cases and 1,378,567 deaths have been reported globally.
Dwindling CARES dollars rattle businesses, officials during highest COVID-19 surge yet
Updated at 10 a.m.
The COVID-19 pandemic, now in its eighth month, has ravaged the local economy, and businesses, nonprofits and local elected leaders worry the worst is yet to come.
Reported COVID-19 cases have risen to record-breaking counts on a daily basis this month — Pierce County’s 14-day case rate per 100,000 was 307 as of Thursday. The spread prompted Gov. Jay Inslee to mandate more restrictions recently, including banning indoor dining at restaurants, shuttering gyms and movie theaters, even restricting indoor gatherings at homes.
Businesses and nonprofits already pummeled by the pandemic now face another challenge: Money allocated to Pierce County and local cities from the federal CARES Act is nearly gone, leaving them to face the rest of the year without the safety net of government loans or grants.
Of the $158 million in CARES Act funding allocated to Pierce County, only $264,000 remains unallocated.
Elected officials and business owners are reluctant to hope for more funding from the state or federal government.
“We are on our own,” said Stacey Ogle, who owns a Tacoma printing business.
Pierce County government received $158 million of federal CARES funding.
The county has used it to pay for COVID-19 testing, hire contact tracing staffing at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and provide grants to businesses and allocations to homeless service providers and food banks.
Businesses used the grants to pay rent, staff and bills. Nonprofit organizations helped families stay housed and provided more food and meals than ever before.
There are some rolling relief programs that will remain open for the rest of 2020 until all funds are spent, like rental and mortgage assistance, transportation, affordable housing and business relief.
Earlier this week Pierce County Council moved $2 million in CARES Act funds to expand its small business relief loan program and $1.5 million for food banks, leaving $264,531 in COVID-19 reserves.
A total of $16 million CARES dollars was designated for municipalities within Pierce County.
This story was originally published November 22, 2020 at 10:24 AM with the headline "Coronavirus updates: State reaches 141,260 cases."
