Thurston’s COVID death toll surpasses 400 as CDC maintains county’s ‘high risk’ status
COVID-19 disease activity remained high in Thurston County over the past week as the county’s pandemic death toll surpassed 400.
Public Health and Social Services added two deaths and 779 cases the week of June 27 to July 2. However, an additional 12 deaths were confirmed on Monday and Tuesday.
From June 27 to July 6, five women died: one in her 20s, one in her 50s and three in their 90s. Nine men also died: one in his 30s, one in his 60s, four in their 70s, two in their 80s and one in his 90s.
In all, PHSS has confirmed 52,955 cases and 409 deaths since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. However, case counts are likely undercounted due to the prevalence of at-home tests that are often not officially recorded.
The state Department of Health continues to describe disease activity in Thurston County as “high” — the most severe rating. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also described Thurston County’s Community Level as “high” as of June 30. Two weeks ago, the CDC labeled the county as “medium.”
The county’s case rate per 100,000 people reached 256 from June 21-27, according to the state. This is down from a recent peak of 300 from May 15-21. Still, the county’s case rate remains well above 100, the state’s threshold for “high” activity.
Many other counties across the region also are at high risk for COVID-19 infection, according to the CDC. This includes 15 Washington counties and 24 Oregon counties.
With a “high” rating, the CDC recommends people wear masks in indoor public settings and on public transportation. Those at higher risk for severe illness also should consider additional precautions.
The CDC determines community levels by weighing new hospital admission and inpatient bed data after considering cases per 100,000 in the past seven days.
Hospitalizations
There were about 10.8 hospital admissions per 100,000 Thurston County residents over a seven-day period ending on Monday, according to data from the CDC.
Around 9.8% of staffed in-patient beds were being used by patients with confirmed COVID-19 over the same period, the data shows.
As of Friday, state DOH data indicates about 89.7% of Intensive Care Unit beds over a seven-day period were occupied in the West region, which includes Thurston County and some of its neighbors.
The data show 15.1% of ICU beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients in the region. Hospitals in the region were 91.4% full over the seven-day period, while COVID-19 patients accounted for 12%.
PHSS recorded 15 hospitalizations in Thurston County from June 30 to July 6. Throughout the pandemic, county data show 2,512 COVID patients have been hospitalized at some point in their illness.
About 75% of county residents who were hospitalized had a known underlying condition, according to a July 5 weekly report. However, it’s possible some had an unknown underlying condition.
Among the people died before July 3, the report says 100% had a known underlying condition.
Outbreaks
PHSS was investigating 36 ongoing outbreaks at congregate care settings as of Wednesday. In all, there have been 239 such outbreaks – 10 more than the previous week.
The July 5 weekly report indicates there were 35 active outbreaks as of Sunday. They included nine adult family homes, 11 assisted living facilities, three congregate housing settings, one correctional facility, one enhanced services setting and 10 nursing facilities.
At school settings, PHSS confirmed three closures involving 17 cases the week of June 20-26. North Thurston Public Schools had two closures with 13 total cases and Olympia School District had one closure with 4 cases.
Vaccines and testing
About 66.4% of all Thurston County residents had completed their primary series of vaccinations as of Monday. Meanwhile, about 73.1% had a least initiated their primary series, state data shows.
The state also reports 57.8% of county residents 5 and older have received a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday. Across the state, about 57.5% of that population had gotten a booster by the same day.
Thurston County PHSS continues to offer free vaccination events, including for booster shots, every week. Upcoming events are listed on their coronavirus vaccine information website.
Eligible residents also can find appointments at pharmacies and other local providers by visiting the state’s Vaccine Locator website.
Those who have difficulty scheduling appointments online can call the Department of Health vaccine hotline at 888-856-5816 or the Thurston County Public Health and Social Services line at 360-867-2610. Information for Spanish speakers is available at these numbers as well.
Anyone who tests at home can report their results to Washington’s COVID-19 hotline at 800-525-0127. Thurston County residents also can call PHSS at 360-867-2610.
People can get PCR tests at pharmacies such as Rite Aid and Walgreens. Over-the-counter COVID-19 antigen tests are also available at pharmacies and on-order for Washington residents from Say Yes! COVID Test and federal government.
In the region
Pierce County has confirmed 206,360 total COVID-19 cases with 1,389 deaths as of Tuesday. Pierce County has a population of about 927,000. The CDC indicates Pierce County has a high COVID-19 community level.
Lewis County has had a total of 18,866 confirmed cases with 260 deaths as of Tuesday, state data shows. Lewis County has a population of almost 83,000. The CDC indicates Lewis County has a high COVID-19 community level.
Grays Harbor County has seen a total of 18,189 cases with 206 deaths as of Tuesday, according to state data. Grays Harbor County has a population of about 75,000. The CDC indicates Grays Harbor County has a high COVID-19 community level.
Mason County has reported 12,572 confirmed cases with 144 deaths as of Tuesday. Mason County has a population of about 69,000. The CDC indicates Mason County has a medium COVID-19 community level.
In the nation, state and world
The state of Washington has confirmed over 1.67 million COVID-19 cases and at least 13,193 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic to Tuesday.
In the U.S., about 88.2 million COVID-19 cases had been reported as of Wednesday with 1.02 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The U.S. population is about 330 million.
Globally, more than 552.8 million people had contracted the virus and over 6.3 million people had died of COVID-19 as of Thursday, the data show.
This story was originally published July 7, 2022 at 10:44 AM.
