Coronavirus Deaths Reach 1,000 In Washington

SEATTLE, WA — State health officials confirmed 337 new coronavirus cases in Washington Saturday, and eight more deaths from COVID-19 brought the state's death toll to 1,000.

There have now been 18,288 coronavirus cases confirmed in Washington since the outbreak began.

Catch up on other recent developments:

Washington targeted in 'vast' unemployment fraud scheme

Federal officials believe that a group of international fraudsters has launched an enormous attack on U.S. unemployment systems, primarily targeting Washington State residents, the New York Times reported.

The schemers have used personal information about U.S. citizens, like social security numbers, to file unemployment claims for people who have not lost their jobs, according to the Times.

As a result, many people have been mailed confirmation paperwork for benefits they'd never signed up for. Washington state believes that millions of dollars have been siphoned away, and the state is working to reclaim at least some of the money.

On Thursday, Washington announced it was pausing unemployment payments for up to two days in order to combat a sharp increase in fraudulent claims this month.

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Inslee walks back customer logs for restaurants

After critics raised privacy concerns, Gov. Jay Inslee is walking back a requirement that customers give their contact information to businesses they visit once coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

The requirement was part of the state's planned contact tracing program, intended to track who has the virus, where they've been and who they've been in contact with. With contact tracing, the state hopes to speed up the isolation and quarantining processes and slow the spread of the virus.

Under the revised rules released Friday businesses must still keep those logs, but customers can choose not to share their information.

Inslee still is urging as many customers to voluntarily give their contact information whenever possible to help make contact tracing work.

After pushback, Fred Meyer workers will get extra pay

Kroger, the parent company of grocer Fred Meyer, announced Friday that it will provide "thank you" payments to hourly employees after a union outcry over the company ending a $2 per hour pay bump it implemented in March amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union held rallies Friday at Fred Meyer stores seeking additional pay for workers while the pandemic continues, KREM-TV reported.

Kroger officials said Friday that bonus payments of $400 and $200 for full- and part-time employees will be paid in two installments in May and June.

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

Total confirmed cases: 18,288 (1,000 deaths)

King: 7,426 cases (526 deaths)
Snohomish: 2,773 cases (125 deaths)
Yakima: 2,217 cases (74 deaths)
Pierce: 1,654 cases (62 deaths)
Benton: 627 cases (55 deaths)
Franklin: 441 cases (17 deaths)
Skagit: 425 cases (14 deaths)
Spokane: 396 cases (30 deaths)
Clark: 386 cases (22 deaths)
Whatcom: 347 cases (35 deaths)
Grant: 185 cases (3 deaths)
Island: 174 cases (10 deaths)
Chelan: 172 cases (6 deaths)
Kitsap: 159 cases (2 deaths)
Douglas: 125 cases (3 deaths)
Thurston: 123 cases (1 death)
Walla Walla: 106 cases (2 deaths)
Cowlitz: 68 cases
Kittitas: 51 cases
Adams: 50 cases
Okanogan: 37 cases (1 death)
Lewis: 34 cases (3 deaths)
Jefferson: 30 cases
Mason: 30 cases (1 death)
Klickitat: 22 cases (3 deaths)
Clallam: 21 cases
Asotin: 18 cases (2 deaths)
Whitman: 16 cases
San Juan: 15 cases
Grays Harbor: 15 cases
Pacific: 9 cases (1 death)
Stevens: 9 cases (1 death)
Wahkiakum: 4 cases
Skamania: 3 cases
Lincoln: 2 cases
Pend Oreille: 2 cases
Columbia: 1 case
Ferry: 1 case

112 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.