Coronavirus Latest In Washington: 12,673 Cases, 711 Deaths

SEATTLE, WA — Washington's coronavirus death toll surpassed 700 Thursday, as the state added 259 new cases and 19 deaths to its official tally.

New deaths were recorded in King, Pierce, Snohomish, Skagit, Lewis, Franklin, Benton and Yakima counties.

According to state data, Washington's epidemiologic curve and its rate of daily hospitalizations have continued to trend downward. More than 153,000 people have been tested for the virus since late February, and more than 92 percent of tests have returned negative.

Catch up on recent developments in Washington:

Supreme Court sides with state in inmate release lawsuit

In a narrow decision, Washington's highest court ruled Thursday against a petition seeking broad release for inmates in at-risk groups for the new coronavirus.

The Washington State Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case Thursday morning, utilizing a video conferencing app for the first time in state history.

Columbia Legal Services, the group representing the inmates, sought the release of inmates over 50, those with serious medical concerns, and anyone within 18 months of completing their sentence.

Nick Straley, an attorney for the group, argued the state had failed to uphold its constitutional duty to protect inmates from "a substantial risk of serious harm."

The court ordered Gov. Jay Inslee and the Department of Corrections to address inmates' health and safety earlier in the month. Since then, the state created a list of approximately 1,100 inmates scheduled for early release.

Petitioners argued that the number is insufficient to create ample social distancing among the prison population, which the state estimates will drop below 16,000 by the weekend.

In the 5-4 decision, signed by Chief Justice Debra Stephens, the court's majority said the group failed to show that the state's current measures "constitute deliberate indifference to the COVID-19 risk at the Department of Corrections facilities."

Inslee released a statement in favor of the ruling Thursday evening.

"We're grateful for the Court's careful review of this serious matter," Inslee said. "The DOC will continue to take all possible measures to care for the health and safety of incarcerated persons."

More than 82,000 new jobless claims in Washington; state pays out $1.4 billion to unemployed

More than 82,000 Washingtonians filed new unemployment claims last week, according to the state Employment Security Department. The numbers reflect a decline in new claims from weeks prior, but state officials expect the claims to spike next week when the data will include a large number of claims filed since eligibility expanded last weekend.

The Seattle Times reports the total number of jobless claims related to the coronavirus crisis could soon hit 1 million, and the unemployment rate may be above 15 percent.

According to the Associated Press, more than $1.4 billion in benefits have been paid out since widespread business closures and mass layoffs began. Approximately $900 million of that money was paid since Saturday night after a much larger group of employees became eligible for assistance.

The AP reports the state is aware that many have struggled to get their claims filed amid extreme traffic on the unemployment website and a high volume of calls. The Employment Security Department recently boosted customer service staffing above 1,000 to help answer questions and process claims.

Learn more about expanded unemployment eligibility in Washington here.

Franklin County changes course on plan to reopen businesses

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners rescinded a resolution Thursday that would have allowed all businesses to reopen, in defiance of the governor's stay-at-home order. During a news conference Wednesday, Inslee said the state's legal counsel sent a letter to the board demanding they reverse the order, saying the move "intentionally and knowingly" broke the law.

The Associated Press reports Thursday's reversal followed an hour-long closed-door session with the county's prosecutor and Sheriff J.D. Raymond. Raymond sent a letter to his constituents Monday, saying he believed the governor's restrictions were more prohibitive than necessary to prevent the virus's spread.

According to state data, lab tests have confirmed 233 infections and 5 deaths linked to COVID-19 in Franklin County. The state said 890 residents have been tested, and 26.2 percent of tests have returned positive for the coronavirus.

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

Total confirmed cases: 12,752 (711 deaths)

King: 5,532 cases (385 deaths)
Snohomish: 2,216 cases (101 deaths)
Pierce: 1,192 cases (44 deaths)
Yakima: 879 cases (41 deaths)
Benton: 365 cases (36 deaths)
Spokane: 320 cases (19 deaths)
Clark: 291 cases (15 deaths)
Whatcom: 282 cases (27 deaths)
Skagit: 280 cases (10 deaths)
Franklin: 233 cases (5 deaths)
Island: 160 cases (9 deaths)
Grant: 146 cases (2 deaths)
Kitsap: 144 cases (2 deaths)
Thurston: 96 cases (1 death)
Chelan: 88 cases (5 deaths)
Douglas: 63 cases (1 death)
Adams: 45 cases
Walla Walla: 41 cases
Cowlitz: 35 cases
Jefferson: 28 cases
Mason: 22 cases
Lewis: 22 cases (3 deaths)
Klickitat: 16 cases (3 deaths)
Okanogan: 16 cases
Asotin: 14 cases (1 death)
San Juan: 14 cases
Clallam: 14 cases
Kittitas: 14 cases
Whitman: 13 cases
Grays Harbor: 12 cases
Stevens: 9 cases (1 death)
Skamania: 3 cases
Pacific: 3 cases
Lincoln: 2 cases
Pend Oreille: 2 cases
Wahkiakum: 2 cases
Columbia: 1 case
Ferry: 1 case

134 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.