Thurston County adds 13 more COVID deaths as CDC status remains ‘high risk’
COVID-19 activity in Thurston County appeared to trend downward over the past week, but the county still confirmed another 13 deaths due to the coronavirus.
Public Health and Social Services also confirmed 533 new cases the week of July 3-9.
Ten men died: one in his 30s, one in his 60s, five in their 70s, two in their 80s and one in his 90s. Three women also died: one in her 50s and two in their 90s.
In all, PHSS has confirmed 53,560 cases and 410 deaths since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. However, cases are considered undercounts because so many people are testing at home and not being officially recorded.
The latest weekly case count is notably lower than the 779 cases reported the week prior. However, the county already had recorded 605 cases for the week of July 10-17 as of Wednesday.
Thurston County saw 3,031 total cases in June, which is highest tally since February when 3,756 cases were recorded, according to a Tuesday weekly PHSS report. In May, the county recorded 2,890 total cases.
The state Department of Health continues to describe disease activity in Thurston County as “high” – the most severe rating.
The county’s case rate per 100,000 people reached 211 from June 28 to July 4, 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.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention described Thurston County’s Community Level as “high” as of July 7. Three weeks ago, the CDC labeled the county as “medium.”
Among its immediate neighbors, Thurston County only shares a high rating with Grays Harbor County. Lewis, Mason and Pierce counties are each labeled as “medium,” according to the CDC.
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 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 12.7 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 COVID-19 patients over the same period, the data shows.
State DOH data indicates about 85.2% of Intensive Care Unit beds over a seven-day period ending on Tuesday were occupied in the West region, which includes Thurston County and some of its neighbors. The data show 13.3% of ICU beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients.
Hospitals in the region were 93.3% full over the seven-day period, while COVID-19 patients accounted for 12.4%.
PHSS recorded 27 hospitalizations in Thurston County from July 7-13. In all, county data show 2,549 people have been hospitalized at some point in their illness.
About 75% of county residents who were hospitalized had a known underlying condition, according to the Tuesday weekly report. However, it’s possible some had an unknown underlying condition.
Among the people died before Sunday, the report says 100% had a known underlying condition.
Outbreaks
PHSS was investigating 35 ongoing outbreaks at congregate care settings as of Wednesday. In all, there have been 245 such outbreaks during the pandemic – six more than the previous week.
The Tuesday weekly report indicates there were 36 active outbreaks as of Sunday. They included 11 adult family homes, nine assisted living facilities, four congregate housing settings, one correctional facility, one enhanced services setting, and 10 nursing facilities.
Vaccines and testing
About 66.4% of all Thurston County residents had completed their primary series of vaccinations as of Monday. Meanwhile, about 73.4% had 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. For comparison, about 57.5% of that population statewide 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 208,659 total COVID-19 cases with 1,394 deaths as of Tuesday. Pierce County has a population of about 927,000. The CDC indicates Pierce County has a medium COVID-19 community level.
Lewis County has had a total of 19,010 confirmed cases with 262 deaths as of Tuesday per state data. Lewis County has a population of almost 83,000. The CDC indicates Lewis County has a medium COVID-19 community level.
Grays Harbor County has seen a total of 18,303 cases with 207 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 12,756 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 1.8 million COVID-19 cases and at least 14,230 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic to Tuesday.
In the U.S., about 89.2 million COVID-19 cases had been reported as of Wednesday with over 1 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The U.S. population is about 330 million.
Globally, more than 559.8 million people had contracted the virus and over 6.3 million people had died of COVID-19 as of Monday, the data show.
This story was originally published July 14, 2022 at 11:34 AM.
