This post will be updated with information about the coronavirus pandemic in Washington state. Scroll down for older information.
As of July 8, the Washington State Department of Health reports:
1,438 Covid-19 related deaths; 40,656 confirmed cases (5.9% positive rate among those tested, and 3.5% death rate among positive cases). Note that tests have been limited, so there are likely more unreported cases.
The most heavily hit Western Washington counties have been King, Snohomish, and Pierce.
A cluster of Central Washington counties are getting hit particularly hard. Yakima County has a 26% positive rate among those tested (in contrast, King County has 5.8%); Franklin County is 28%; Benton County is 17%; and Grant County is 11%.
Compared to white people, the rate of Covid cases is three times higher for Black people, five times higher for Latinx people, and six times higher for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders.
While the pandemic initially struck older populations hard, more recent surges in case numbers (June/July) have been driven by younger people -- ages 40 and below.
Versión en español aquí / Read KUOW's coronavirus coverage in Spanish
