Washington Reports 30 Deaths, 884 More Coronavirus Cases

SEATTLE, WA — State health officials reported 30 new deaths linked to COVID-19 in Washington and 884 new confirmed cases of the disease Tuesday. That is not the highest death toll Washington has seen yet, several days in late March saw death tolls in the mid-30s, but it is a significant jump over recent days, which have seen daily deaths in the teens or even single digits.

Deaths Tuesday were reported in Adams, Clark, Cowlitz, Grant, Island, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Pacific, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Whatcom and Yakima counties.

The death toll and case counts continue to rise for much of Washington, but there are also some signs of improvement in the more troubled counties. The Department of Health says that case counts may have plateaued or even be declining in Clark, Franklin, King, Spokane and Yakima counties, all of which have been slammed by high case counts in recent weeks. On Twitter, Gov. Inslee attributed the improvement in Yakima County specifically to increased mask usage and other safety precautions.

Tuesday's numbers mean a total of 53,321 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the state since the outbreak began, and 1,548 people have died.

A total of 945,234 Washingtonians have been tested for the coronavirus, meaning roughly 5.7 percent of tests come back positive.

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Catch up on the latest developments:

Study: death and hospitalization rising across Washington

A new report from the Bellevue-based Institute for Disease Modeling found that distribution of new coronavirus cases has changed. Over the past month, state officials have repeatedly found a large majority of new coronavirus cases were in younger adults, but recently there has been a shift towards more cases in both older adults and children. That, in turn, has led to an increase in hospitalizations across all age groups, except for children under 19 and a possible decline in hospitalizations for adults 40 to 59 in eastern Washington. Otherwise, those rates have universally gone up.

Rising hospitalizations have been matched with an increase in deaths: Deaths have been on the rise in eastern Washington for some time, but researchers say for the first time since March they appear to be rising in western Washington as well.

Washington's top health officials have long been warning that the surge in coronavirus cases wouldn't stay confined to just younger adults, and now that the disease is moving into other demographics, it's time for residents to reconsider their behavior and do more to slow the spread of the virus.

"Our actions matter: Stay home, keep distance and wear a face covering. We all need to take this responsibility seriously and limit our activity to protect the health and safety of our communities," Secretary of Health John Wiesman said.

Read more: Coronavirus Deaths, Hospitalizations Rising In Washington

Many public sector employees will work from home until 2021

Tuesday King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties joined the cities of Everett, Kenmore, Redmond, Seattle, Shoreline and Tacoma to announce that all of their employees who are currently telecommuting would continue to work from home until at least January of next year. The move also includes select employees at the Port of Seattle and Port of Everett.

Leaders behind the decision say, keeping as many workers home as possible will be key to prevent unnecessary coronavirus transmissions going forward.

"We have to do all we can to slow the spread of COVID-19. Many businesses and governments have found that remote work can be good for the organization and good for the employee," Shoreline Mayor Will Hall said. "Having some people telecommute makes way for others to report to a work site more safely. I am proud to support our regional efforts to promote telecommuting."

Department of Health launches survey to determine next steps

The Washington State Department of Health has launched a new survey asking residents what the state should do to help them out in this trying time.

The survey is called the Community Recovery-Oriented Needs Assessment, or CORONA, survey, and asks Washingtonians how the state can help address the social, economic and emotional impact the pandemic has had on residents, both in the short and long term.

The survey is totally voluntary and the information it gathers is kept confidential, but participants who do choose to provide their name will be entered to win one of three $100 Amazon.com gift cards distributed weekly.

Any Washington resident who wants to take the survey may do so by visiting www.wacoronasurvey.com. The survey can also be taken over the phone by calling 855-530-5787. Organizers say interpreters will be on hand to help callers who do not speak English.

Total coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths by county:

The above numbers are provided by the state Department of Health, and some numbers differ from the totals provided separately by county health agencies.

This article originally appeared on the Seattle Patch