13,521 Coronavirus Cases Confirmed In Washington; 749 Deaths

SEATTLE, WA — Another 202 cases of the new coronavirus were confirmed in Washington on Sunday, bringing the state's total to 13,521.

Another 11 people have died from COVID-19, bringing the state's total to 749 deaths, according to the state Department of Health. The state has tested 175,477 people for the virus, of whom 7.7% tested positive.

Catch up on other recent developments:

Dozens of farmworkers test positive for coronavirus

Dozens of farm workers at a Central Washington orchard have tested positive for COVID-19, though they weren't experiencing symptoms, the Spokesman-Review reported Saturday.

Local health officials and Stemilt Ag Services, which runs the orchard, tested the farm workers in East Wenatchee after some fruit packaging warehouse workers tested positive. Of the 71 workers who were tested, 36 tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the company.

The high number of positive cases comes in spite of social distancing measures in place at the orchards, according to local administrators.

Teachers struggle to reach students during coronavirus closure

Nichol Everett, a teacher at Jason Lee Middle School in Tacoma, says she hasn't heard from at least 40 percent of her students since Washington Gov. Jay Inslee shut down public schools in response to the coronavirus more than a month ago.

Everett told the Associated Press she's sent emails, made phone calls, tried to utilize social media and even mailed postcards. During the first weeks of the school closure, she created a website full of resources.

Many have responded, in some capacity, to daily online check-ins, she says, but few are completing the assigned work.

"About 20 students have turned in any work in the last six weeks," Everett says. "On the assignments — the academic work — (participation) has been very low."

Seattle's leaders acted early, while New York's did not

That's according to a New Yorker report on the differing outcomes seen in the two cities. The Seattle outbreak, initially the virus' epicenter in the U.S., now pales in comparison to the severity of cases seen in New York.

In Seattle, for example, officials saw the decision to close schools as a strategic one: not just to keep families safe, but to communicate to the public that the threat was serious.

"It was a way to speed up people’s perceptions—to send a message they could understand," King County Executive Dow Constantine told reporter Charles Duhigg.

In New York, meanwhile, schools, bars and restaurants stayed open against the advice of public health experts — and by the time they closed, it may have been too late.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases by county (from the Washington Department of Health*)

Total confirmed cases: 13,521 (749 deaths)

King: 5,863 cases (408 deaths)
Snohomish: 2,311 cases (104 deaths)
Pierce: 1,244 cases (46 deaths)
Yakima: 1,015 cases (44 deaths)
Benton: 405 cases (37 deaths)
Spokane: 347 cases (19 deaths)
Skagit: 299 cases (10 deaths)
Clark: 297 cases (18 deaths)
Whatcom: 288 cases (27 deaths)
Franklin: 251 cases (5 deaths)
Island: 160 cases (9 deaths)
Grant: 150 cases (2 deaths)
Kitsap: 144 cases (2 deaths)
Thurston: 100 cases (1 death)
Chelan: 91 cases (5 deaths)
Douglas: 72 cases (1 death)
Walla Walla: 52 cases
Adams: 46 cases
Cowlitz: 39 cases
Lewis: 29 cases (3 deaths)
Jefferson: 28 cases
Mason: 22 cases (1 death)
Okanogan: 19 cases (1 death)
Asotin: 17 cases (1 death)
Klickitat: 16 cases (3 deaths)
Clallam: 15 cases
Kittitas: 14 cases
San Juan: 14 cases
Whitman: 14 cases
Grays Harbor: 12 cases
Stevens: 9 cases (1 death)
Pacific: 4 cases
Skamania: 3 cases
Lincoln: 2 cases
Pend Oreille: 2 cases
Wahkiakum: 2 cases
Columbia: 1 case
Ferry: 1 case

123 cases and one death remain unassigned to individual counties. The state is still determining how to sort the hundreds of cases with no definite origin.

*Some numbers differ from the totals provided separately by county health agencies.

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.