16,891 Coronavirus Cases Confirmed In Washington; 931 Deaths

SEATTLE, WA — State health officials confirmed 217 new coronavirus cases in Washington Sunday, along with 10 additional deaths from COVID-19.

There have now been 16,891 confirmed coronavirus cases statewide since the outbreak began, including 931 deaths. Washington ranked 18th among U.S. states by total confirmed cases, as of Sunday afternoon.

In King County, which remains the hardest-hit in the state, confirmed cases surpassed 7,000 Sunday and the number of deaths reached 500.

The state has now tested 248,875 people for the virus, with 6.8% testing positive.

Catch up on other recent developments:

Sea-Tac Airport to require face coverings for passengers

Starting May 18, all passengers traveling through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport will be required to wear cloth face coverings, the Port of Seattle announced Saturday.

The airport had previously limited the requirement to employees. The requirement won't apply to children or people with medical issues that prevent wearing masks, King5 reported.

Visits to Sea-Tac have dropped by more than 90 percent since the coronavirus crisis began, as the airport now averages just 3,800 visitors per day — compared to 50,000 typically.

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First coronavirus case confirmed at Northwest detention center

Officials on Friday confirmed the first positive COVID-19 test at the Northwest detention center in Tacoma, in a detainee who had previously tested positive at another detention center and was being medically screened on arrival at the immigration jail, the Associated Press reports.

The development came just as immigrant rights advocates were going to court again in an attempt to free medically vulnerable detainees before any outbreak there.

In a lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and the American Civil Liberties Union argued that it has become increasingly clear that there is no way to adequately protect people in custody from the coronavirus.

In a filing in a separate case Friday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said a detainee tested positive during a medical intake screening and will remain medically segregated for two weeks.

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

Total confirmed cases: 16,674 (921 deaths)

King: 7,007 cases (500 deaths)
Snohomish: 2,681 cases (117 deaths)
Yakima: 1,781 cases (59 deaths)
Pierce: 1,562 cases (57 deaths)
Benton: 577 cases (51 deaths)
Franklin: 412 cases (16 deaths)
Skagit: 401 cases (14 deaths)
Spokane: 382 cases (28 deaths)
Clark: 351 cases (20 deaths)
Whatcom: 333 cases (34 deaths)
Grant: 181 cases (3 deaths)
Island: 174 cases (9 deaths)
Kitsap: 155 cases (2 deaths)
Chelan: 148 cases (5 deaths)
Thurston: 121 cases (1 death)
Douglas: 112 cases (2 deaths)
Walla Walla: 99 cases (2 deaths)
Cowlitz: 66 cases
Adams: 49 cases
Lewis: 30 cases (3 deaths)
Jefferson: 29 cases
Mason: 28 cases (1 death)
Okanogan: 25 cases (1 death)
Clallam: 19 cases
Klickitat: 19 cases (3 deaths)
Asotin: 18 cases (2 deaths)
Kittitas: 18 cases
San Juan: 15 cases
Whitman: 15 cases
Grays Harbor: 13 cases
Pacific: 9 cases
Stevens: 9 cases (1 death)
Skamania: 3 cases
Wahkiakum: 3 cases
Lincoln: 2 cases
Pend Oreille: 2 cases
Columbia: 1 case
Ferry: 1 case

40 cases 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.