Thurston County reports 45 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday
Thurston County reported 45 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday as the county continues to experience elevated transmission rates.
The county now has 4,033 total cases. Of those, 247 patients have been hospitalized at some point during their illness, including 19 in the past week, and 49 county residents have died. Additionally, the county reported 15 ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks at area congregate care settings, bringing the total to 34 since March.
County residents in their 20s continue to account for the biggest number of cases, 21 percent. Residents over the age of 60 account for just 18 percent of the cases — but 46 of the 49 deaths (almost 94 percent).
Over the past week, the county reported 7.2% of COVID-19 tests have come back positive, down from earlier this week. Meanwhile, the state reported Tuesday that the county has seen about 235.1 newly diagnosed cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks — nearly 10 times the goal of less than 25.
Health Officer Dr. Dimyana Abdelmalek said the county is still seeing elevated transmission rates and once again advised residents to limit their social gatherings. Last week, the county saw the highest weekly total since the start of the pandemic with 485 cases.
Abdelmalek said the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines brings hope, but people still need to take common precautions such mask wearing and social distancing for the foreseeable future.
“What we have seen is that these vaccines are effective at preventing COVID-19 disease,” Abdelmalek said. “We don’t know how effective they are at preventing transmission.”
It’s possible the vaccine may not be effective at preventing transmission, meaning a vaccinated person could still transmit the disease to others who may not be vaccinated.
Abdelmalek said the first vaccines in Thurston County will go to high risk health workers, first responders and people living in long-term care facilities.
In the region
▪ Two more people in Pierce County died of COVID-19 and 225 new cases were reported Tuesday. In all, Pierce County has now reported a total of 21,479 cases and 261 deaths. The two deaths included a Frederickson man in his 70s and Tacoma woman in her 70s.
▪ Lewis County reported 21 news cases on Tuesday for a total of 1,689 cases and 18 deaths.
▪ Grays Harbor County announced 60 new cases Monday, giving the county 1,478 total cases with 17 deaths.
▪ Mason County reported eight additional cases Tueday, bringing the total to 1,017 positive cases. Total deaths remain at 12.
Around the nation, state and world
The state Department of Health has reported 203,797 cases and 2,918 deaths as of Tuesday night, meaning 1.4% of confirmed cases have resulted in death.
In the U.S., more than 16.7 million cases and more than 303,500 deaths had been reported as of Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Globally, 73.4 million cases had been reported and 1.63 million people had died as of Tuesday, the data show.
This story was originally published December 15, 2020 at 6:48 PM.
