Thurston County announces 21st death, plus 22 more COVID-19 cases; total tops 1,500
A woman in her 90s has died, bringing Thurston County’s COVID-19-related deaths to 21, plus 22 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 were announced Wednesday, giving the county 56 cases for the week and 1,501 to date.
The new cases included four people in their 30s, five people in their 20s, three people between the ages of 10-19 and two children, a boy and girl, 9 or younger, according to Thurston County Public Health and Social Services.
New cases have shown a sharp increase in recent weeks, including a new weekly high of 121 cases the week of Sept. 28.
“I know the rise in cases over the past two weeks is disappointing, but there is hope!” County Health Officer Dr. Dimyana Abdelmalek said in a recent letter to the community.
“If we all stay home when we are sick, get tested soon after symptom onset or when directed by Public Health, stay at least 6 feet from non-household members, wear a mask in public, cover coughs and sneezes, and avoid large gatherings and unnecessary travel, together we can reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” she writes.
Of the 1,501 cases, 1,132 people have recovered or are recovering, 105 have been hospitalized at some point during their illness and 21 have died. There also are COVID-19 outbreaks at six congregate care settings, identified Tuesday as two adult family homes, two assisted living facilities and two nursing facilities.
In the region
▪ Pierce County added 89 cases on Wednesday and no new deaths, giving the county a total of 8,778 cases and 180 deaths.
▪ Lewis County reported four new cases and two deaths on Wednesday for a total of 649 and 10 deaths. The two deaths were residents in their 80s.
▪ Grays Harbor County announced one new case Monday night for a total of 603 with 11 deaths.
▪ Mason County reported eight new cases on Wednesday for a total of 518 with eight deaths.
Around the state, nation and world
The state Department of Health reported 734 new cases and 10 deaths on Wednesday to give the state 95,509 cases with 2,221 deaths.
In the U.S., nearly 8 million cases had been reported and more than 217,000 people had died as of Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Globally, more than 38.7 million cases have been reported and nearly 1.1 million people have died as of Thursday, the data show.
This story was originally published October 14, 2020 at 5:13 PM.
