Coronavirus Cases Surpass 10,000 In Washington; 491 Dead

SEATTLE, WA — Lab testing has confirmed another 337 new coronavirus cases in Washington and 16 additional deaths, according to an update from the state department of health Saturday.

The state has now recorded 10,224 COVID-19 illnesses since the outbreak began and 491 people have died. Initially the U.S. epicenter of the virus, Washington now ranks 13th among states by number of confirmed cases.

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.

Starting Saturday, Washington began reporting new data on COVID-19 cases by race and ethnicity, as well as current hospitalization rates.

According to the race and ethnicity data, about 58% of confirmed COVID-19 patients have been white — 10 percent less than the state's overall population. Hispanic patients make up 22% of cases, compared to 13% of the state's population. Black patients comprise 6% of cases, while multiracial people and patients of "other races" make up 2% each.

"Based on the available data at this time, it does not appear we have the same stark inequities in deaths experienced in other parts of the country," state Secretary of Health John Wiesman said in a statement. "However, we are still working to get race and ethnicity data for a third of the deaths, so we can’t draw firm conclusions quite yet."

In other parts of the U.S., black and Latino people have been disproportionately infected and killed by COVID-19 — a pattern that has been observed everywhere from Illinois to Louisiana.

Meanwhile, the new hospitalization data shows a decrease in the percentage of patients hospitalized for COVID-19-like illnesses. As of April 5, the most recent data from the state, 2.8% of emergency hospitalizations were for possible coronavirus, down from 4.6% in mid-March, although officials said that some recent hospitalizations may not have been counted yet.

U.S. surpasses Italy for most coronavirus deaths

The U.S. surpassed Italy Saturday as the country with the world's most confirmed deaths from the coronavirus, the New York Times reported.

The death toll in the U.S. stood at nearly 20,300 Saturday afternoon, compared to about 19,500 in Italy, according to Johns Hopkins University. Deaths per capita in the U.S. remained lower than in Italy, however.

Deaths in the U.S. have more than doubled within the past week, and are now growing by nearly 2,000 each day, the Times reports.

UW Medicine seeks testers for outbreak prediction app

The University of Washington School of Medicine is looking to recruit 25,000 people to test a new smartphone app designed to help predict the next outbreak before it happens, researchers said this week.

The project, funded by the Department of Defense, has been in development for more than two years, initially designed to help track influenza and cold activity. Since the new coronavirus arrived, researchers have tweaked the app to also track COVID-19.

Programmers are looking to collect information from four different participant groups, each recruited to fill out short, daily surveys about their medical status over three months. UW Medicine hopes the app could help identify potential infections sooner and prevent people from returning to work or school too quickly after an illness.

Learn more about the project, or sign up to participate in the study here.

King County Metro bus drivers say they're afraid to work

Drivers for King County Metro say they're going to work every day afraid of contracting the coronavirus, as protective equipment remains in short supply and their employer refuses to say how many drivers has been infected, Erica C. Barnett reported for HuffPost.

While Metro has already cut routes during the pandemic, some drivers said they don't understand why so many buses are still on the road, as some lines remain crowded despite the reduced ridership.

Metro has designated its drivers as "first responders," meaning they're still required to show up to work — even if they think they've been exposed to COVID-19 — unless they're showing symptoms of the virus, Barnett reports.

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

Total confirmed cases: 10,224 (491 deaths)

King: 4,241 cases (282 deaths)
Snohomish: 1,798 cases (68 deaths)
Unassigned: 764 cases**
Pierce: 884 cases (17 deaths)
Yakima: 496 cases (21 deaths)
Whatcom: 252 cases (23 deaths)
Spokane: 247 cases (13 deaths)
Benton: 246 cases (26 deaths)
Clark: 217 cases (14 deaths)
Skagit: 173 cases (6 deaths)
Island: 154 cases (7 deaths)
Kitsap: 129 cases (1 death)
Franklin: 112 cases (2 deaths)
Grant: 111 cases (2 deaths)
Thurston: 81 cases (1 death)
Chelan: 52 cases (5 deaths)
Adams: 36 cases
Jefferson: 28 cases
Cowlitz: 22 cases
Walla Walla: 20 cases
Mason: 19 cases
Lewis: 17 cases (2 deaths)
Douglas: 16 cases
Okanogan: 15 cases
Kittitas: 13 cases
Klickitat: 13 cases (1 death)
San Juan: 13 cases
Clallam: 12 cases
Grays Harbor: 11 cases
Whitman: 11 cases
Stevens: 6 cases
Asotin: 5 cases
Skamania: 3 cases
Lincoln: 2 cases
Wahkiakum: 2 cases
Columbia: 1 case
Ferry: 1 case
Pacific: 1 case
Pend Oreille: 1 case

*Some numbers differ from the totals provided separately by county health agencies.
**Health agencies are still working to determine the appropriate jurisdiction for cases marked "unassigned."