10 Thurston residents died of COVID in the past week, as 676 new cases were tallied
Thurston County officials have confirmed 10 deaths and 676 COVID-19 cases in the past week as case rates continue a worrying trend.
The 10 deaths include five men, in their 30s, 40s, 60s, 70s and 80s, and five women, in their 30s, 60s, 80s and 90s.
With 676 added cases, the county’s weekly case count is lower than the previous week’s 723 cases, but that included 146 that likely came from a data backlog from the Washington State Department of Health, according to county spokesperson Magen Johnson.
Case rates have continued to climb in recent weeks as a fifth wave driven by the delta variant makes its way through a county population that is just 51.4% vaccinated. This has contributed to a surge of patients at regional care centers, including Providence St. Peter Hospital.
In response to the current wave, County Health Officer Dimyana Abdelmalek has directed county residents 5 and older to wear masks in public indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status.
“Our case rates continue to be the highest that they have been since the pandemic began,” Abdelmalek said during a county commissioners meeting on Tuesday. “Based on the most recent state analysis, approximately a little bit over 95% of new cases have been due to the delta variant here in Washington state.”
State data shows the county had a case rate of 468.7 per 100,000 people between Aug. 2-15 — the highest it’s ever been in Thurston County.
The latest case rate has reached new heights from the most recent low of 75.9 cases per 100,000 people from June 21 to July 4, according to state data.
Prior to the current wave of disease transmission, the record the state reported for Thurston County was 314.1 cases per 100,000 people from Jan. 2-15.
Thurston County’s case rate between Aug 2-15 is lower than all its immediate neighbors. Most notably, Lewis County’s case rate reached 856.1 over the same period, far exceeding a previous record of 686.6 from Nov. 28 to Dec. 11.
Just 38.1% of Lewis County’s total population had been fully vaccinated as of Saturday, compared to Thurston County’s 51.4%.
For the past seven days, Washington state has had an increasing case rate of 211.4 per 100,000 people. The national rate for the same period was 262.3 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Meanwhile, state data show a record 10.7% of molecular COVID-19 tests in Thurston County returned positive results between Aug. 2-8. The previous record prior to this wave comes from April 20-26 when the county saw 8.8% of tests return positive results, per the data.
However, that data might be misleading.
“Due to high volumes of testing, there is a backlog amongst lab reporting,” said Thurston County Public Health and Social Services director Schelli Slaughter during the Tuesday county commissioners meeting. “When that happens, they prioritize the reporting of positive tests over negative tests, which can affect that particular percentage.”
Since the first COVID-19 case was recorded in March 2020, the county has reported 14,010 COVID cases and 113 deaths, Monday’s data shows.
The county is currently investigating 14 ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks at congregate care settings, the data show. In total, the county has reported 76 such outbreaks since the beginning of the pandemic.
Vaccination progress
More people have been seeking out vaccinations at some of PHSS’s clinics in recent weeks, according to Slaughter. For example, over the weekend, more than 80 people got vaccinated at their mall location, she said.
However, she noted that staff at these clinics have increasingly had “negative interactions” with people who are upset about vaccine and mask mandates in the community.
“We do have a security presence at all of our clinics now,” Slaughter said. “I request that members of the public treat our staff with kindness because they are here to serve our community and help.”
While just 51.4% of the total county population has been fully vaccinated, 56.3% have initiated vaccinations, per the data. The county’s total vaccination percentages have increased by around a single-digit percentage point in the past week.
For those 16 and older, state data indicates 61.2% have been fully vaccinated and 66.8% have initiated vaccinations. So, the county continues to fall short of its goal of initiating vaccinations in at least 70% of this population.
On Aug. 16, the state announced 71.5% of the population 12 and older had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This percentage includes aggregate data from the Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs, both of which are not entirely reflected in the state’s data dashboard.
For comparison, 65.6% of Thurston County residents 12 and older have initiated vaccinations and 59.9% had been fully vaccinated as of Saturday.
In the region
▪ Pierce County had confirmed 60,015 total COVID-19 cases with 646 deaths as of Monday.
▪ Grays Harbor County has seen a total of 5,454 confirmed and probable cases, with 87 deaths as of Sunday, according to state data.
▪ Lewis County Public Health & Social Services reports a total of 6,691 confirmed and probable cases with 85 deaths as of Sunday, per state data.
▪ Mason County has reported 2,994 confirmed cases with 43 deaths as of Monday.
In the state, nation and world
The state of Washington reported a total of 536,814 COVID-19 cases and 6,383 deaths as of Sunday.
In the U.S., more than 37.9 million cases had been reported as of Tuesday with nearly 630,000 deaths.
Globally, more than 212.9 million people had contracted the virus and nearly 4.5 million people had died of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, the data show.
This story was originally published August 24, 2021 at 12:39 PM.
