14,637 Coronavirus Cases In Washington; 824 Dead

SEATTLE, WA — The state Department of Health reported 310 new coronavirus cases Friday afternoon, and 10 additional deaths linked to COVID-19. The latest statewide total includes 14,637 confirmed illnesses and 824 deaths.

The 10 deaths reported Friday included patients from King, Snohomish, Pierce, Spokane and Franklin counties.

Washington's testing positivity rate remained unchanged, at 7.4%, among 198,724 residents tested since January.

Catch up on the latest developments:

Inslee outlines reopening plan; will extend stay-at-home order Monday

Gov. Jay Inslee announced four phases for reopening Washington, allowing for certain businesses and social activities to gradually resume in the coming weeks.

On Monday, the governor will also sign a second extension to the state's "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order, keeping many restrictions in place through May 31.

The first phase, which is already underway, allows for some outdoor recreation to resume next week, and will soon permit vehicle sales, car washes, pet-walking and curb-side retail sales.

Phase two will allow for gatherings with up to five people outside the household and restore camping and beach trips for small groups. Barbershops, hair salons, and some in-store retail will return, and restaurants can restore in-house dining at 50% capacity.

The next phase will permit gatherings up to 50 people, including recreational sports, and up restaurant capacity to 75%. Movie theaters and gyms will be allowed to operate at 50% capacity, and bars can return with 25% capacity.

Under the plan's ultimate phase, all recreational activity can resume, including large sporting events and concerts, and the cap on gatherings will be lifted.

The governor estimates approximately three weeks will separate each step of the state's reopening plan.

Inslee said some degree of physical distancing and other precautions will remain necessary until a vaccine and confirmed treatment options are available.

May Day protests feature caravans, physical distancing

Some May Day protests took place in Washington Friday, utilizing different methods than previous years. In Seattle, a Tax Amazon protest organized by Councilmember Kshama Sawant called on protesters to attend in their vehicles, forming a caravan outside the Amazon Spheres. The rally then continued to the offices of Cornell & Associates, an apartment management firm, to demand rent relief.

The Seattle Times reports a group of approximately 40 protesters gathered in-person at Westlake Center calling on Gov. Jay Inslee to immediately reopen the state.

Alaska Airlines will require masks for all passengers

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines will require all passengers to wear face coverings on flights, beginning later this month, the company announced Friday.

"Guests will be expected to bring their own mask and will be required to wear it throughout the airport and flight experience," the airline wrote in a blog post. "Additional supplies will be available for those who forget their face masks."

Alaska said all employees who cannot maintain social distance will be required to wear masks beginning Monday, including pilots, flight attendants and customer service representatives.

"In light of COVID-19, we're in a new era and are continually updating our safety standards to better protect our guests and employees," said Max Ridwell, vice president of safety. "For now, this includes wearing masks, which is another layer of protection that can reduce the spread of the virus."

To achieve more space between travelers, the airline has blocked off middle seats on large aircraft and aisle seats on smaller aircraft through May 31.

Positive early results in clinical trial for antiviral drug to treat COVID-19 patients

The University of Washington School of Medicine participated in a multi-state clinical trial for remdesivir, an anti-viral drug previously tested to treat Ebola. The preliminary analysis, provided by the National Institutes of Health, found a shortened recovery time and higher survival rate among patients who received the drug.

"The way that the study was designed was we enrolled everybody who had evidence of pneumonia in the hospital, and so that included people who were quite sick," said Dr. Helen Chu, assistant professor of medicine at UW. "I think what we'll find as more studies emerge is that giving it earlier will be even better."

Chu said because the drug is administered intravenously, it is likely to be given only to people sick enough to be hospitalized but could shorten the amount of time it takes them to get better and give them better odds for survival.

According to the National Institutes of Health, early results showed patients recovered 4 days earlier on average.

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

Total confirmed cases: 14,637 (824 deaths)

King: 6,274 cases (452 deaths)
Snohomish: 2,453 cases (109 deaths)
Pierce: 1,339 cases (50 deaths)
Yakima: 1,203 cases (47 deaths)
Benton: 461 cases (41 deaths)
Spokane: 367 cases (22 deaths)
Skagit: 337 cases (13 deaths)
Clark: 327 cases (19 deaths)
Whatcom: 305 cases (28 deaths)
Franklin: 309 cases (11 deaths)
Island: 169 cases (9 deaths)
Grant: 163 cases (3 deaths)
Kitsap: 150 cases (2 deaths)
Chelan: 113 cases (5 deaths)
Thurston: 106 cases (1 death)
Douglas: 78 cases (1 death)
Walla Walla: 76 cases
Adams: 47 cases
Cowlitz: 47 cases
Lewis: 29 cases (3 deaths)
Jefferson: 28 cases
Mason: 25 cases (1 death)
Okanogan: 21 cases (1 death)
Clallam: 18 cases
Asotin: 18 cases (2 deaths)
Klickitat: 17 cases (3 deaths)
Kittitas: 15 cases
San Juan: 14 cases
Whitman: 14 cases
Grays Harbor: 12 cases
Stevens: 9 cases (1 death)
Pacific: 4 cases
Skamania: 3 cases
Lincoln: 2 cases
Pend Oreille: 2 cases
Wahkiakum: 2 cases
Columbia: 1 case
Ferry: 1 case

At least 77 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.