Thurston County adds 55 new COVID-19 cases amid concerning trends Tuesday
Thurston County recorded 55 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and a record-high 6.8% positivity rate for tests the week starting Nov. 3.
Department director Schelli Slaughter, who briefed the Thurston County board of commissioners Tuesday, said this positivity rate is likely an undercount because local community testing sites such as the Providence drive-thru site have been overwhelmed.
“The state system has been overwhelmed with positive tests statewide, which has slowed down reporting,” Slaughter said.
There have been 2,956 total cases and 45 deaths since the pandemic began here in March, according to data from Thurston County Public Health and Social Services Tuesday. Of that total, 158 patients have been hospitalized at some point and 1,921 have recovered or are recovering. There are 12 ongoing congregate care facility outbreaks.
Concerning trends
The county saw its highest case count in a single week two weeks ago with 389 cases. An additional 334 were recorded last week, and the county has added 135 cases so far this week, with 5 days to go.
For every 100,000 people, about 205 have been diagnosed with COVID-19 over the past two weeks, according to state data released Monday. Heath Officer Dimyana Abdelmalek said at the Tuesday meeting that this rate is the highest it’s been since the start of the pandemic.
“Much of what we’re seeing is community spread,” Abdelmalek said. “We’re seeing increasing numbers of individuals not knowing where they might have contracted the disease.”
November is tracking to have the highest number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic started, with well over 900 cases so far. For comparison, October saw 633 cases and September just 251.
“We’re continuing to see patterns of household members getting sick,” Abdelmalek said. “If one member gets ill, then the rest of the household is much more likely to get sick as well.”
The county also is just below the goal of having less than 80% of licensed care beds occupied by patients, with that rate at 71.4%, according to state data released Monday. Of those licensed beds, a record high of 6.3% are occupied by COVID-19 patients.
Holiday plans
Abdelmalek said she is joining the CDC in advising people in Thurston County to celebrate Thanksgiving only with members of their household if they will be indoors.
Small gatherings have tended to be drivers of the virus’ spread, Abdelmalek said.
“I’m asking everyone in Thurston County to be extremely mindful this Thanksgiving,” Abdelmalek said. “While historically we’ve all gathered with friends and loved ones and family at this time, this year will be a little bit different.”
If people chose to celebrate outdoors, Abdelmalek recommended that people limit gatherings to five people and maintain 6 feet of social distancing.
Rather than gather together, Abdelmalek said she is planning to celebrate the holiday with her family over video chat.
“We are so fortunate to be in a time where we have remote technologies that allow us to connect even when we can’t be physically together,” Abdelmalek said.
Those who may be struggling with their mental health this holiday season are encouraged to visit the county’s Public Health and Social Services website for resources, Abdelmalek said.
In the region
▪ Pierce County announced 343 new cases and one death Tuesday. The county has now reported 15,089 cases and 225 deaths.
▪ Lewis County reported 28 new cases on Tuesday for a total of 1,112 cases and 14 deaths.
▪ Grays Harbor County added 15 new cases as of Monday night for a total of 948 cases and 17 deaths.
▪ Mason County reported 10 additional cases on Tuesday for a total of 767 with 11 deaths.
Around the state, nation and world
The state Department of Health has reported 151,019 cases and 2,690 deaths as of Tuesday.
Nationally, 12.6 million cases had been reported with nearly 260,000 deaths as of Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The U.S. leads the word in both cases and deaths. India is second in cases with 9.2 million, but Brazil has reported the second most deaths, with 170,000.
Globally, more than 59.7 million cases had been reported and 1.4 million people had died as of Tuesday, the data show.
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 6:25 PM.
