Coronavirus In Pierce County: 688 Cases, Tacoma Reports 1st Death

PIERCE COUNTY, WA — Testing has confirmed another 68 new coronavirus cases in Pierce County, bringing the county's official total of COVID-19 cases to 688, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department announced Sunday.

More than 7,100 Pierce County residents had been tested for the virus as of Sunday. 688 of those tests, or about 9.7 percent, have come back positive.

The new deaths announced Sunday include the first reported death in the city of Tacoma — a woman in her 90s with underlying health conditions.

"As a community, we have collectively suffered a heartbreaking loss, and I hope you will keep this woman and her family in your thoughts and prayers," Mayor Victoria Woodards said in a statement. "Together, we mourn with those who mourn across the world because of this deadly virus."

The other death announced Sunday was a man in his 80s from Key Peninsula who also had underlying health conditions, officials said.

Learn more about the coronavirus response and track each case in Pierce County here.

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Washington sending ventilators to other states

Washington state will return more than 400 ventilators it received from the federal government in an effort to help other states deal with more severe outbreaks of the new coronavirus, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Sunday.

Washington received 500 ventilators last month from the Strategic National Stockpile after requesting 1,000, the Seattle Times reported. They will go to New York and other states where COVID-19 cases have rapidly spiked, according to Inslee.

These ventilators are not meant to treat COVID-19 patients, but can be used to treat other patients, allowing hospitals to reserve their higher-pressure ventilators for those with COVID-19, according to the Times.

"I've said many times over the last few weeks, we are in this together," Inslee said in a statement. "This should guide all of our actions at an individual and state level in the coming days and weeks."

Washington lacks data on coronavirus testing among health workers

Experts and health officials who are trying to plan a response to the coronavirus outbreak are missing a critical piece of information — the number of health care workers who have tested positive for the disease.

Washington state faced the first major outbreak of COVID-19 in the nation, but health officials have not kept track of how many doctors and nurses have the disease, the Associated Press reports.

Ruth Schubert, spokeswoman for the Washington Nurses Association, said that data is needed for COVID-19.

"We are urging the (Department of Health) and the emergency operations team at the state level to begin collecting and reporting this information," she said.