Pierce County Revamps Coronavirus Data; 23 New Cases Confirmed

TACOMA, WA — Health officials confirmed 23 new coronavirus cases in Pierce County Wednesday, and reassigned some cases, bringing the total number of confirmed illnesses to 1,022. Wednesday's update also included the county's 24th death, a woman in her 90s from the Edgewood area with pre-existing health concerns.

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Pierce County expands coronavirus data reporting

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department unveiled an updated coronavirus portal Wednesday, including some new pieces of information based on public feedback. Residents can now track the number of daily hospitalizations alongside lab-confirmed infections and see illnesses broken down by race and ethnicity.

The health department said demographic information is helpful to determine how some communities may be affected disproportionately by the illness, so they can better direct resources to meet emerging needs.

"Among those who tested positive for COVID-19, we are beginning to see evidence that some populations are more affected than others," the health department wrote. "It's only the beginning of the full picture of the disease's effect. We expect the economic effects of COVID-19 to be more severe on some communities than others, but we will not be able to fill in these details of our data picture for some time."

Health officials said work is ongoing to begin reporting estimates on how many people have recovered from the illness and which occupations have been identified as having a higher risk for exposure. The health department is aiming to begin releasing that information within the next few weeks.

Metro Parks Tacoma furloughs 85 employees

Metro Parks Tacoma sent furlough notices to 85 non-union employees Tuesday as officials projected a $13 million loss over the next six months. Metro Parks said the return-to-work date for employees is June 30, but there is a possibility for some to return early, depending on the need identified for the summer ahead.

Earlier this month, Metro Parks announced layoffs for 520 part-time employees.

More than 30 coronavirus cases at Western State Hospital.

At least 27 staff members and six patients have tested positive for COVID-19 at the state's largest psychiatric hospital, including one patient who died. The Associated Press reports just two patients have been tested this month, despite recommendations from health officials.

Western State Hospital is home to approximately 735 patients, and 16 were recently transferred elsewhere to help relieve some of the pressure on hospital staff.

Union leadership has continued to push for better protections for workers and some nurses have raised concerns that the hospital's administration has not acted quickly enough to address the outbreak.

Coronavirus cases near your Patch:

Lakewood: 80 cases (3 deaths)
Puyallup: 49 cases (1 death)
Gig Harbor area: 48 cases
University Place: 36 cases
Bonney Lake: 28 cases (2 deaths)
Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 23 cases

Find a complete list of Pierce County cases and review an updated map here.
Review answers to frequently asked questions about the outbreak here.