King County Passes 500 Coronavirus Deaths, 7,115 Cases

KING COUNTY, WA — Health officials in King County reported 69 new cases of the coronavirus and 7 new deaths due to the virus Monday. The new numbers bring the total to 7,115 cases county wide and 505 total deaths since the outbreak began.

In King County, the virus has killed 7.1 percent of all patients confirmed to have caught it.

King County's deaths accounted for half the total death toll for Washington on Monday. Statewide Washington saw 14 new deaths and 231 new confirmed cases of the virus. 234,986 people across Washington have now been tested for the coronavirus, meaning just around 7 percent of tests come back positive.

Across Washington, 321 patients have been hospitalized with COVID-19, 94 of which are in the ICU for extreme cases.

King County, Seattle strongly urge use of face coverings

Monday King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan held a teleconference to announce a new directive for all of King County instructing residents to wear masks in all indoor public spaces, and constrained outdoor spaces.

The directive goes into effect next Monday, May 18. Under the directive, all residents should wear face masks in indoor public spaces like the grocery or pharmacy. Local leaders say, it's absolutely necessary to keep slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

“While we have flattened the curve, saved lives, and prevented our health care systems from being overwhelmed, we have to remember that there are significantly more cases in our community now than early March when we began restrictions," said Mayor Durkan.

The order applies to both shoppers and employees at all essential establishments. Restaurants and food delivery services are urged to wear masks as well, and masks will be required for bus drivers and passengers on all King County Metro buses.

Read more: Seattle, King County Urge Use Of Face Masks In Public

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Concerns about the lasting impact on transit

Transit agencies across the Puget Sound are reportedly planning for a crisis: reduced ridership during the outbreak already stalled ridership, now there are concerns that many riders wont return at all when the pandemic has passed.

Tech giants like Amazon have leaned in to new work-from-home programs, now some transit officials fear that there will be drastically less commuters over the coming weeks and months, which in turn means less demand, fewer tickets sold and less money raised to keep public transit running. Also looming are fears of a recession which could lead to fewer jobs, and again fewer commuters.

Federal aid is coming: Sound Transit is set to receive $166 million in federal funds, but they say that less than 2 percent of the money they will lose if the upcoming downturn is as bad as 2008's recession. Similarly King County Metro will receive around $244 million to help keep their services running.

Meanwhile Pierce County is already preparing for cutbacks. Pierce Transit had expanded their services almost 20 percent over the past five years, but expect to lose about 12 percent of their total routes and services by this fall.

Read more: Coronavirus Could Leave Lasting Setbacks for Local Transit

Three more counties cleared to enter Phase 2 of reopening plan

Wahkiakum, Skamania and Stevens counties have been approved to enter Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee's Safe Start plan. Earlier the whole state entered Phase 1, which allowed the reopening of certain non-essential business like construction, dog walking, and car washes. Now certain counties are being allowed to enter the second stage early.

To qualify for the expedited reopening, the counties needed to have a population below 75,000, and no new coronavirus cases for at least the last three weeks. Columbia, Garfield, Lincoln, Ferry and Pend Oreille met that requirement on Friday, May 8 and now Wahkiakum, Skamania and Stevens join them. Kittitas county has also applied to enter Phase 2 early, but its application is still being reviewed.

In Phase 2, restaurants and bars are allowed to reopen as long as they stay under half capacity and only seat tables of five or fewer. Retailers, business offices, hair and nail salons, pet groomers, nannies and housecleaning services will also be allowed to return to work. Though offices are reopening, the state says everyone who can work from home or telecommute should still do so if possible.

The remainder of Washington is expected to enter the second phase around June 1.

Read more: 3 More Counties To Enter Phase 2 Of Washington's Reopening Plan

UW Medicine forecasts $500 million loss

Monday UW Medicine announced that they expect to lose $500 million dollars by the end of the summer due to the coronavirus pandemic. The university says, that means they'll probably have to announce upcoming salary cuts, and furloughs for employees.

Valley Medical Center has already taken several steps to cut spending, including staff furloughs and staffing changes.

University leaders say they're proud of all the work their teams have done during the outbreak, and will be sad to announce the furloughs and pay cuts.

"I sincerely regret that our path to financial stability includes reductions in compensation, but I believe the actions we are taking will support the excellence of the UW Medicine clinical, research, and educational programs," said Dr. Paul Ramsey, CEO of UW Medicine. "As we develop and implement these measures, we are committed to transparency and will seek input on how we can best support our employees during this challenging time."

Read more: UW Medicine Forecasting Losses Of $500 Million By Summer's End

Coronavirus cases by city

Location	Confirmed Cases	Deaths
Shoreline	324	50
Lake Forest Park	29	0
Kenmore	68	6
Yarrow Point	2	0
Bothell	88	10
Woodinville	78	9
Duvall	20	1
Seattle	2,206	116
Kirkland	301	51
Redmond	231	48
Medina	10	0
Clyde Hill	8	1
Bellevue	372	29
Sammamish	70	4
Carnation	5	0
Issaquah	157	30
Snoqualmie	23	1
North Bend	21	1
Burien	188	7
Seatac	142	4
Tukwila	138	0
Renton	561	36
Normandy Park	12	0
Des Moines	145	2
Kent	572	32
Covington	63	1
Maple Valley	68	4
Federal Way	410	9
Auburn	431	13
Black Diamond	10	1
Enumclaw	78	24
Milton	1	1
Algona	18	1
Pacific	30	1
Total	7,115	505

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View the daily summary of cases, review infections at long-term care facilities, or explore the virus's impact by race and ethnicity.