34 New Coronavirus Cases, 136 Total, Confirmed In Washington

SEATTLE, WA — State health officials confirmed 34 more cases of COVID-19 in Washington on Sunday, bringing the state's total to 136.

The new totals include 12 new cases confirmed in King County, including two deaths last week by patients whose cases were not announced until Sunday. Another death, in Grant County, was announced later Sunday.

The state's breakdown of cases by county is as follows:

• King: 83 (17 deaths)
• Snohomish: 31 (1 death)
• Grant: 1
• Jefferson: 1
• Pierce: 4
• Clark: 1
• Kittias: 1

Another 14 cases added to the state's website later Sunday were listed as "unassigned," meaning they have been confirmed in a lab but not yet assigned to a county, a state health spokesperson told Patch.

"We’re currently working to reduce the 'unassigned' number to 0," the spokesperson, Danielle Koenig, said in an email.

Earlier Sunday, officials also listed a confirmed case in Spokane which was later retracted.

The two King County deaths announced Sunday were a woman in her 80s, a resident of Life Care Center in Kirkland who was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth and died on Friday, and as a man in his 90s, also a Life Care resident, who was hospitalized at Harborview Medical Center and died Thursday.

The Grant County death was a patient in their 80s whose case had been reported last week, officials said.

In King County, 16 of the 17 confirmed deaths have been associated with Life Care, which has come under scrutiny for an alleged lack of preparation prior to the outbreak. One death has also been reported in Snohomish County.

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Since the outbreak started, Life Care transferred 54 of its 120 residents to hospitals. Since Feb. 19, 28 residents have died — 17 of whom were already in the hospital, according to a numbers shared by Life Care. It's unclear whether the remaining 11 deaths that happened at the facility were caused by coronavirus or a similar illness, the release said, because no post-mortem information was available.

Currently, 70 Life Care employees are showing COVID-19 symptoms, according to the release, and are not actively working at the facility.

President Donald Trump signed an $8.3 billion coronavirus spending bill Friday, boosting the money available for federal, state and local efforts to combat the growing outbreak of COVID-19.

Gov. Jay Inslee joined Rep. Susan DelBene and Rep. Derek Kilmer for a news conference in Seattle Friday morning to break down what those numbers mean for Washington, described Thursday by Vice President Mike Pence as the "tip of the spear" in the U.S. coronavirus response.

Through the federal relief bill, Washington is expected to receive $11.5 million. King County officials estimate the COVID-19 outbreak is costing the county at least $100,000 per day. Dow Constantine, King County Executive, said he expects to spend at least $50 million in the short-term.

Gov. Jay Inslee said lawmakers in Olympia also approved $100 million in state funds to assist with the growing needs of the health care response.

Public Health Guidance On Virus Prevention:

• If you develop symptoms, call your healthcare provider and try to avoid contact with other family members. Seek emergency help if you have shortness of breath, chest pain, confusion or dizziness or persistent vomiting.
• If you're sick, stay home.
• Commit to excellent personal hygiene, including regular handwashing, and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Avoid crowds and other large gatherings.

Patch staffers Lucas Combos and Megan VerHelst contributed to this report.

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