Pierce County Coronavirus: 1 Death, Just 3 New Cases

PIERCE COUNTY, WA — Pierce County health officials reported a single new death due to the coronavirus Tuesday. They also reported just three new confirmed cases of the virus, marking the lowest number of new confirmed cases in over two months: the last time Pierce County reported 3 new cases was on March 14, near the beginning of the pandemic.

The health department has identified the death as a Tacoma woman in her 80s. She reportedly had underlying health conditions, complicating her treatment.

Pierce County has now seen a total of 1,877 lab-confirmed coronavirus cases and 75 total deaths. 23,972 Pierce residents have been tested for the virus, meaning 7.4 percent of tests come back positive. That's slightly above the statewide average of 6.1 percent.

Statewide, Washington reported 8 new deaths and 116 new cases of the virus Tuesday. The new numbers bring the total death toll to 1,078, and 20,181 patients infected with the virus. On average, 5.3 percent of people who are confirmed to have the virus are killed.

---

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in Washington. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily.

---

Catch up on the latest developments:

Rethinking how larger counties will enter Phase 2

Much of the state will enter Phase 2 of Gov. Inslee's Safe Start plan around June 1, but some larger counties with higher infection rates will be left behind, and the state is working on guidelines for how those counties can enter the next phase as their cases dwindle.

Right now, 21 counties have reached Phase 2 after being granted permission from the state to go ahead. At first, permission was limited to counties with a population under 75,000 and no new coronavirus cases reported for three weeks. Recently, the state modified the rules so that counties can apply to move to Phase 2, as long as they have had fewer than 10 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents over a two-week period. That move made more counties eligible to enter Phase 2 early, but some of the state's busiest counties still are a ways from meeting that metric.

King, Snohomish and Pierce counties still have illness rates three to four times higher than the standards being met by smaller counties, and now the state is trying to determine how to make new guidelines so those counties can safely move forward into Phase 2. Leaders say it is unlikely that all counties will enter Phase 2 when most of the state moves on around June 1, but they hope to have those new guidelines for the larger counties ready sometime this week.

Read more about the Phase 2 criteria and reopening here.

Contact tracing can help, but the public must participate

A new study from Bellevue's Institute for Disease Modeling shows that the potential for coronavirus transmissions will likely double as businesses reopen, but that the potential can be counteracted by effective contact tracing, as long as everyone is willing to take part.

Their new model is called "Covasim" a contraction of COVID-19 and simulation, because it simulates how individual humans interact and spread the virus to each other.

By applying the Covasim model to King County and factoring in the safety measures in place there, researchers say they have found two new key findings. One, that the transmission potential for the virus is now around a third of what it was when the outbreak first began. Two, that the transmission potential will likely double from where it is now to about 70 percent of what it was initially as businesses reopen.

To tamp down on an explosive growth in new cases and further deaths, the Institute of Disease Modeling says the state must do three key things:

1. Double the amount of coronavirus testing
2. Ensure contact tracers can effectively quarantine at least 70 percent of workplaces exposed to the virus within 48 hours of a new confirmed case.
3. Ensure that 90 percent of households with a coronavirus patient enter isolation.

The institute and health officials say that if the state can work together to accomplish those three goals, it'll bring Washington much closer to a safe and healthy reopening process.

Read more on the Covasim model here.

Washington businesses could face fines for disobeying coronavirus guidelines

The Department of Labor and Industries has announced that Washington businesses "willfully ignoring closure orders" could end up facing citations and fines for putting employees in unsafe working conditions.

L&I says Gov. Inslee's Safe Start plan enacted emergency rules and gave them the authority to fine businesses that refused to follow safety guidelines.

"We're all in this together, and most businesses are doing the right thing for our state and our communities. Unfortunately, there are some that are choosing not to." said Joel Sacks, director of L&I.

Complaints will be investigated with the state Emergency Operations center. According to L&I, businesses found purposefully denying Inslee's order will be told to adjust their practices until they do meet safety guidelines, or close up shop. Those that do not, will be given a workplace safety citation and fines up to $10,000.

Read more on the investigative process and potential fines here.

Amtrak asks congress for support as ridership plummets

Amtrak Cascades has seen ridership down 96 percent compared to the same time last year, thanks almost entirely to the coronavirus pandemic and resulting rules banning non-essential travel. Now, to stay afloat through the 2021 fiscal year, Amtrak is asking Congress for $1.475 billion in financial support.

The money would be in addition to an annual $2.040 billion grant congress provides to support Amtrak. Amtrak says that new funding would be necessary to support their employees and their rail network. The company also says the extra funding would help their 17 state partners on the National Network and nine commuter partners on the Northeast Corridor.

Amtrak says they expect to recover next year, but not entirely. They're forecasting around half of their regular riders will return in 2021. To adjust they've already cut around $500 million from their annual operating expenses, and in Washington Amtrak Cascades has cut rides to two daily round trips between Portland and Seattle.

Read more about Amtrak's financial woes here.

Coronavirus cases by city:

Location	Confirmed Cases	Deaths
Bonney Lake	47	3
Central Pierce County	136	6
East Pierce County	51	3
Edgewood/Fife/Milton	87	9
Frederickson	65	2
Gig Harbor	52	1
Graham	55	0
Key Peninsula	7	1
Lake Tapps/Sumner	46	0
Lakewood	195	5
Parkland	104	2
Puyallup	135	8
South Hill	103	1
South Pierce County	38	0
Southwest Pierce County	21	2
Spanaway	65	4
Tacoma	600	26
University Place	62	2
Unknown	8	0
Total	1,877	75