536 New Coronavirus Cases In Washington; State Death Toll Drops

SEATTLE, WA — State health officials reported 536 new coronavirus cases in Washington on Thursday as the state's official death toll shrunk by one. While the latest data showed added deaths in Spokane, Franklin and Island counties, cases were removed in Pierce, Kitsap and Mason counties. Such changes can occur when the health officials receive new information about a death that indicates COVID-19 was not the primary cause, or when a case is determined to belong to another jurisdiction.

The state Department of Health said Thursday's update contained fully up-to-date data after errors discovered earlier in the week temporarily paused case reporting and prevented updates on negative test results.

Per the latest information, 84,238 patients have tested positive in the state since the crisis began, and at least 2,080 people have died from complications linked to COVID-19. According to the state, approximately 269 patients with confirmed or suspected illnesses are currently hospitalized.

At least 2,890 new illnesses have been confirmed in Washington over the last seven days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's case tracker. That number is slightly higher than recent days, but new cases reported statewide have generally shown improvement in recent weeks.

Many of Washington's counties still show a rate of cases by population higher than the target threshold of 25 cases per 100,000 residents over 14 days. At least 14 of the state's counties remain in the highest transmission bracket. However, King, Pierce, Snohomish, Skagit, Kitsap and Lewis counties are now among those in the moderate range, reporting between 50 and 75 cases per 100,000.

As of Thursday, health labs had processed at least 1,783,279 tests in Washington since the public health crisis began.

Washington introduces new protocols for air travel

Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday unveiled new regulations for air travel, strengthening health and safety precautions at airports throughout the state.

The new protocols include:

• Requiring everyone to wear facial coverings in all public spaces before TSA screening.
  • Many airports require mask use after TSA screening, but the state only has the authority to implement the requirement in areas before screening.
• Physical distancing requirements, and new signage reminding passengers about physical distancing requirements.
• More protective barriers between travelers and airport employees.
• Stricter sanitization and disinfectant protocols.
• Requiring businesses inside airports to conform to both state and county coronavirus safety regulations.

Inslee, who was joined by representatives from Delta and Alaska airlines for a news conference Thursday, said the state also worked with airlines to enhance protections in-flight. Alaska is among the airlines that made changes early on, including limiting the number of passengers and cordoning off center seats. In October, Delta plans to begin using thermal cameras to automatically screen passengers' temperatures before they board flights at Sea-Tac Airport.

Read more: Washington Announces New Pandemic Protocols For Air Travel

UW study finds thousands of U.S. coronavirus cases associated with in-person college instruction

A nationwide study co-authored by a University of Washington professor found between 1,000 and 5,000 new coronavirus cases each day in places where colleges have reopened for face-to-face instruction.

The new research was published Wednesday and has not yet been peer-reviewed.

During the study, researchers analyzed patterns at more than 1,400 campuses from July 15 to Sept. 13, including 886 schools that taught primarily in-person, and 483 that taught mostly online.

The study found campuses with majority in-person learning saw an overall increase in transmission rates in their counties and further increases when students returned to college, coming from counties with surging cases.

"We don't see similar spikes in cases for counties with colleges that reopened with primarily online instruction," said Anirban Basu, a professor of health economics at UW. "The total spike attributed to face-to-face campus reopenings accounts for nearly 6 percent to 7 percent of all cases in the U.S. during this time."

The researchers recommended that campus leadership and local health authorities consider additional mitigation strategies and consider their county's case activity, in addition to the activity in counties where students originate.

Read the full study on medRxiv.

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.