Thurston County COVID-19 cases rise by 20 on Wednesday to increase total to 1,645
Twenty more confirmed cases of COVID-19 were announced on Wednesday, giving the county 1,645 cases to date since early March.
The new cases included a man in his 90s, four women and a man in their 80s, two women in their 70s and two women in their 60s, according to Thurston County Public Health and Social Services.
Cases have recently increased, including a new weekly high of 148 cases the week of Oct. 12-18, county data show.
Some of the increase is tied to recent outbreaks at longterm care facilities, county Health Officer Dr. Dimyana Abdelmalek said in her letter to the community on Wednesday, but many of the cases stem from community contact.
“The majority of cases in our county are linked, meaning when one person gets sick it is often from contact with someone they knew who either tested positive or had symptoms of illness,” she writes. “I am finding exposure occurs more often from a family member or friend.”
Of the overall total, 1,256 people have recovered or are recovering, 113 people have been hospitalized at some point during their illness and 22 have died, including a man in his 80s on Monday, the county announced.
The county is also still dealing with six, longterm care facility outbreaks at two adult family homes, two assisted living facilities and two nursing homes.
“COVID-19 can enter the facility through many different means which can include staff members who get COVID-19 in the community, trips outside the facility by residents, and visitors coming to the facility,” Abdelmalek writes. “Monthly testing is conducted at longterm care facilities as a standard practice.”
IN THE REGION
▪ Pierce County added 104 cases on Wednesday, giving the county a total of 9,331 cases and 185 deaths.
▪ Lewis County reported two new cases on Wednesday for a total of 681 and 12 deaths.
▪ Grays Harbor County announced 18 new cases Tuesday night for a total of 665 with 11 deaths.
▪ Mason County reported eight new cases on Wednesday for a total of 546 with nine deaths.
AROUND THE STATE, NATION AND WORLD
The state Department of Health reported 724 new cases and four deaths on Wednesday to give the state 99,874 cases with 2,286 deaths.
In the U.S., more than 8 million cases have been reported and more than 221,000 people have died as of Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Globally, more than 41 million cases have been reported and more than 1.1 million people have died as of Wednesday, the data show.
This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 5:11 PM.
