521 New Coronavirus Cases in Washington, 10 More Deaths

SEATTLE, WA —State health officials confirmed ten new deaths linked to COVID-19 in Washington Wednesday and 521 new confirmed cases of the disease.

That's less than the week's average of 676 new cases a day that NPR reported Tuesday, but the number does come with some complications. Health officials in Pierce County say their cases may have been under-counted because of issues with select laboratories, which could lead to an increase in case counts as they catch up over the next few days.

Meanwhile in King County, daily case counts are approaching the peak the county saw in late March and early April, causing health officials to issue stern warnings about the need for masks and quick testing in those who have coronavirus symptoms.

Deaths Wednesday were reported in King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Yakima counties. One death that had been mistakenly attributed to Whatcom county was also reassigned.

The new numbers mean a total of 37,941 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the state since the outbreak began, and 1,394 people have died.

A total of 645,072 Washingtonians have been tested for the disease, meaning roughly 5.9 percent of tests come back positive.

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Catch up on the latest developments:

Hospitalizations on the rise, but much below earlier peak

The daily number of coronavirus cases has been at a record high over the past week, but while hospitalizations have also been on the rise, they're not matching the same pace, and nowhere near the peak, as shown by a new analysis in The Seattle Times.

According to The Times, the state saw the most hospitalizations on the week starting March 29, when severe outbreaks at assisted living facilities put 519 people in the hospital. For comparison, the week that began June 21 saw 211 hospitalizations.

Part of the reason the spiking case counts aren't leading to a similar spike in hospitalizations could be tied to demographics: in King County more than half of new cases are in younger adults aged 20 to 39, not a high-risk population. Pierce County also recently reported a similar shift towards younger patients.

Read the full report from The Seattle Times here.

Washington State Fair canceled

After months of holding out hope that the pandemic might be gone, or at least under control, by the end of summer, the 2020 Washington State Fair has officially been canceled. Organizers say it was a tough call to make, but necessary because of the current state of the pandemic in Washington.

"Though it was a difficult decision, it was really the only decision possible based on what we currently know," said state fair CEO Kent Hojem. "It was a decision made in what we feel are the best interests of the health and safety of all of our guests, our employees, our exhibitors; basically all of our constituents."

Now that the fair has been officially cancelled, organizers will begin contacting registered participants and refunding their entry and competition fees.

The move marks the first time the fair has been cancelled in half a century. Since its founding 120 years ago, the Washington State Fair has only been canceled once, for four years in during World War II.

Read more: 2020 Washington State Fair Canceled Over Coronavirus Concerns

Coronavirus cases 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.