Coronavirus cases rise in King and Pierce Counties; Thurston at 3, Lewis gets first
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases continued to rise Sunday as both King and Pierce counties added to their totals, public health officials announced.
Thurston County cases still stand at three.
King County cases have now grown to 420 from 387 on Saturday, including two more deaths, which brings the death toll to 37.
Pierce County also added to its cases. It now has 29, including three new additions: A man in his 70s from northeast Pierce County, a Tacoma woman in her 50s and a Tacoma boy under 10, the county announced.
Thurston added no new confirmed cases on Sunday, according to Thurston County Public Health, but a state Department of Corrections employee has tested positive for COVID-19, making it the second state worker in the county to become afflicted with the respiratory illness.
Corrections announced Sunday that the Tumwater-based worker was last at the office on March 11 and is now at home until they recover. A state Department of Health worker in Tumwater also has the virus, the agency announced last week.
Lewis County, too, has its first case: A man in his 80s who is undergoing medical care.
Starbucks also announced Sunday that it is shifting all of its U.S. and Canada stores to a “to go” model.
According to Starbucks:
▪ The company is pausing the use of all seating, including both the café and patio areas
▪ Customers can still walk up and order at the counter, through the “order ahead” feature in the Starbucks app, via the drive thru and use delivery
▪ A modified condiment bar will be in use in all stores.
▪ Some customers might see a modified “order ahead” hand off areas on a store-by-store basis
▪ Temporary closures for company-owned stores in high-social gathering locations, such as malls and university campuses
▪ Temporary store closures or reduced operating hours in communities with high clusters of COVID-19 cases.
Statewide coronavirus cases and deaths as of 3 p.m. Sunday
▪ King County: 420 cases, 37 deaths.
▪ Snohomish County: 176, four.
▪ Unassigned: 104, 0.
▪ Pierce County: 29, 0.
▪ Island County: 6, 0.
▪ Skagit and Yakima counties: four each, no deaths.
▪ Clark, Jefferson, Kitsap, Kittitas, Spokane, Thurston and Whatcom counties: three each, no deaths.
▪ Grant County: 2, 1.
▪ Columbia, Grays Harbor, Lincoln: one case each.
Note: The statewide data doesn’t always reflect the most up to date county information. For example, the Lewis County case was not included, although it was announced by Lewis County Public Health on Sunday.
Number of individuals tested
▪ Positive: 769.
▪ Negative: 9,451.
Source: Washington state Department of Health.
This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 3:20 PM.
