Coronavirus updates: Pierce County reports 126 new cases; Cheney Stadium now a testing site
This page includes coronavirus developments around Washington state for Monday, Dec. 21.
2nd patient at Western State Hospital dies of COVID-19
Updated 3 p.m.
A patient at Western State Hospital and Lakewood has died due to COVID-19, the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services announced Monday.
No further details about the patient have been released. DSHS said the patient had been at a local hospital for several weeks.
This is the second Western State patient to die due to the virus. The first COVID-19 death of a patient at the state-run behavioral health hospital was reported in March.
Four staff members and six patients at the hospital have recently tested positive for the virus. Patients who test positive or have symptoms are moved to designated wards.
The COVID-19 vaccine is expected to arrive at the hospital this week.
Pierce County reports 126 new cases
Updated 3 p.m.
Pierce County reported 126 new COVID-19 cases Monday.
Three additional deaths — a Tacoma woman in her 70s, a Bonney Lake woman in her 70s and a Puyallup man in his 80s — were also reported. All had underlying health conditions.
The county’s totals are now at 22,848 cases and 275 deaths since the first confirmed case was reported in March.
“Record levels of testing over the last several weeks caught many new cases,” the health department wrote on Twitter. “The good news is our percent positive rate is declining.”
The county has reported 5,053 cases in the past 14 days and its 14-day case rate per 100,000 is now 560.2. With a six-day data lag required in the state, the county’s case rate per 100,000 is 530.4. Average cases per day in the past 14 days are at 360.9.
There are an estimated 8,453 confirmed cases still active in the county.
Testing is available at various sites in the county. More information on testing sites is available on the health department’s website.
Monday’s geographic case totals for Pierce County are listed below with Sunday’s totals in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 632 (625)
▪ Central Pierce County: 1,096 (1,091)
▪ East Pierce County: 912 (906)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 985 (983)
▪ Frederickson: 890 (887)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 741 (738)
▪ Graham: 769 (766)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 216 (215)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 802 (799)
▪ Lakewood: 1,869 (1,856)
▪ Parkland: 1,117 (1,112)
▪ Puyallup: 1,415 (1,410)
▪ South Hill: 1,334 (1,326)
▪ South Pierce County: 699 (696)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 297 (294)
▪ Spanaway: 1,063 (1,054)
▪ Tacoma: 6,674 (6,657)
▪ University Place: 816 (807)
▪ Unknown: 521 (500)
Testing now available at Tacoma’s Cheney Stadium
Updated 11 a.m.
Tacoma’s Cheney Stadium, usually the summer home of baseball and soccer, is now doubling as a COVID-19 testing site.
“Cheney Stadium has partnered with Discovery Health MD, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Atlas Genomics and the WA Department of Health to provide Free COVID-19 testing in Tacoma,” the We R Tacoma website says.
Testing is open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. through Feb. 28. The site will be closed for the holidays on Dec. 24, 25, 31 and Jan. 1.
Individuals looking to get tested are asked to pre-register online, and those with health insurance are asked to enter their information during registration as well as bring it with them to the site.
“All individuals wishing to be tested should enter off of 19th street via Clay Huntington Way and stop at the registration check in desk,” the site says. “Discovery Health MD staff will be onsite guiding cars through the parking lot and assist anyone with registration issues.”
Shoppers looking to access the team store should enter the parking lot from the Tyler Street entrance.
More unemployment payments, stimulus checks could be headed to Washington
Updated 9 a.m.
Millions of Washington state residents would be eligible for financial aid under the new relief bill announced by congressional leaders Sunday.
The $900 billion stimulus package could be finalized Monday.
The deal would provide $600 payments to millions of American adults earning up to $75,000 per year.
It would also ensure “about 100,000 state residents they would not lose unemployment benefits that are set to expire at the end of next week,” according to a McClatchy report.
Weekly benefits for qualified claimants would increase from the current state maximum of $844 by about $300 per week for 11 weeks.
“The state Employment Security Department, which manages the programs, is evaluating the proposals as they are disclosed,” the McClatchy report says. “A $300 boost would be similar to the extra $600 a week available from late March to late July, and is considered easier to implement.”
Plans for further financial relief efforts could follow in January.
Washington state no longer reporting cases on Sundays
Updated 9 a.m.
The Washington State Department of Health is no longer updating COVID-19 case numbers and deaths on Sundays.
“Dashboard updates on Mondays will incorporate the case and hospitalization counts from the previous day,” the department’s website says.
Updates are typically posted daily in the afternoon or early evening.
Statewide totals had reached 222,600 cases and 3,104 deaths as of Saturday’s update. The department also reported Saturday that total case counts “may include up to 200 duplicates.”
“Negative test results data from Nov. 21, 2020 through today are incomplete, as are positive test results from Dec. 18, 2020, thus testing and case numbers should be interpreted with caution,” the site says. “The Epidemiologic Curves tab is the most accurate representation of COVID activity and is updated daily as new cases are identified and duplicates are resolved.”
There have been more than 3.5 million tests conducted in the state with 6.1% coming back positive.
Pierce County reports 187 new COVID-19 cases
Updated 9 a.m.
Pierce County reported 187 new COVID-19 cases Sunday. No additional deaths were reported.
The county’s totals are now at 22,722 cases and 272 deaths since the first confirmed case was reported in March.
“Record levels of testing over the last several weeks caught many new cases,” the health department wrote on Twitter. “The good news is our percent positive percent is starting to decline.
“Batch processing of tests at some labs can cause reporting delays.”
The county has reported 5,029 cases in the past 14 days and its 14-day case rate per 100,000 is now 557.5. With a six-day data lag required in the state, the county’s case rate per 100,000 is 534.9. Average cases per day in the past 14 days are at 359.2.
There are an estimated 8,483 confirmed cases still active in the county.
Testing is available at various sites in the county. More information on testing sites is available on the health department’s website.
GEOGRAPHIC TOTALS
Sunday’s geographic case totals for Pierce County are listed below with Saturday’s totals in parentheses:
▪ Bonney Lake: 625 (619)
▪ Central Pierce County: 1,091 (1,065)
▪ East Pierce County: 906 (878)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 983 (961)
▪ Frederickson: 887 (871)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 738 (723)
▪ Graham: 766 (745)
▪ JBLM: No longer reported
▪ Key Peninsula: 215 (212)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 799 (781)
▪ Lakewood: 1,856 (1,815)
▪ Parkland: 1,112 (1,089)
▪ Puyallup: 1,410 (1,383)
▪ South Hill: 1,326 (1,300)
▪ South Pierce County: 696 (686)
▪ Southwest Pierce County: 294 (281)
▪ Spanaway: 1,054 (1,023)
▪ Tacoma: 6,657 (6,500)
▪ University Place: 807 (792)
▪ Unknown: 500 (472)
Debbie Cockrell, Stacia Glenn and David Lightman contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Coronavirus updates: Pierce County reports 126 new cases; Cheney Stadium now a testing site."
