Thurston County adds 12 COVID-19 cases Tuesday, as health officer notes rise in cases
Thurston County reported 12 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and no new deaths on Tuesday.
The added cases come as the county confronts a rise in cases. During a Board of County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Health Officer Dimyana Abdelmalek said the county’s 167 cases last week represent a four-week high.
In the past week, 3.2% of COVID-19 tests came back positive, up from 2.8% just days ago.
“Even though we are making great strides in vaccinations, it’s important that we continue to maintain all of the same safety and mitigation measures that we have been following since the beginning,” Abdelmalek said. “We are starting to see the light at the edge of the tunnel, but these rising case counts are a reminder that COVID-19 is still with us for at least a bit longer.”
In all, the county has recorded 7,795 confirmed cases with 76 deaths, according to data from Thurston County Public Health and Social Services. Of that total, 346 people have been hospitalized during their illness and 7,274 are considered recovering or recovered.
The county is still monitoring two ongoing outbreaks in congregate care settings, including one at an assisted living facility and one at a nursing facility. Since March 2020, the county has recorded 50 such outbreaks.
Regarding vaccinations
In Thurston County, 119,570 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered, said department director Schelli Slaughter during the Tuesday meeting.
At least 79,418 residents, or about 27.6% of the county population, have received their first dose, she said. At least 47,970 residents, or about 16.8%, are now fully vaccinated, she said.
Over the last week, Slaughter said the county administered 4,553 doses at vaccination clinics. In doing so, the county has now administered at least 15,770 vaccinations, she said.
“We’re very thankful to all the staff and volunteers in our community that help make our vaccine events successful,” Slaughter said.
Over the next week, Slaughter said she expects the state to allocate 10,920 doses for providers in the county. This number does not include doses allocated to pharmacies through the federal government, she clarified, so even more doses will be available.
On March 31, 2 million more Washington residents will be become eligible as the state expands eligibility to tiers 3 and 4 of Phase 1B.
Slaughter said the county plans to administer 6,280 doses during mass vaccination events at South Puget Sound Community College over the weekend. Eligible residents are encouraged to find appointments online through the Washington state vaccine locator website.
Starting Wednesday, residents will no longer be required to use the state’s Phase Finder website to prove their eligibility as the tool will be eliminated.
People with difficulties scheduling appointments online can call the Department of Health vaccine hotline at 888-856-5816 or the Thurston County public health line at 360-867-2610.
In the region
▪ Pierce County reported 68 new COVID-19 cases and four new deaths Tuesday. In all, the county has reported 39,116 cases and 510 deaths.
▪ Grays Harbor County has reported 3,532 confirmed and probable cases and 57 deaths as of Monday.
▪ Lewis County Public Health & Social Services has reported 3,378 cases and 51 deaths as of Monday.
▪ Mason County reported 15 new COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing its total to 1,795 cases with 27 deaths.
▪ Pacific County has reported 844 positive cases with 10 deaths as of Monday, according to an update from the county.
In the state, nation and world
The state Department of Health has reported a total of 362,385 cases and 5,226 deaths.
In the U.S., 30.3 million cases had been reported as of Tuesday with more than 550,900 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Globally, 128.1 million cases had been reported and 2.8 million people had died as of Tuesday.
This story was originally published March 30, 2021 at 7:06 PM.
