Washington Coronavirus Updates: 165 New Cases, 21 More Dead

SEATTLE, WA — State health officials have confirmed 156 new coronavirus cases and 21 additional deaths linked to COVID-19, according to the Department of Health. The official statewide tally shows 13,842 lab-confirmed illnesses and 786 deaths in Washington since January.

Tuesday's numbers marked the second day in a row that new illnesses reported across the state fell below 200.

The University of Washington Virology Lab, which has processed nearly 82,000 of the state's tests, reported a daily positivity rate of 6.1 percent Monday. The lab's percentages have fluctuated in recent days, but have trended downward since early April. UW Virology's overall positivity rate is at 9.6 percent.

According to state data, 182,515 Washingtonians have been tested to-date, and 7.6 percent of patients have tested positive for the virus.

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Local leaders renew call for rent and mortgage cancellation on the state and federal level

Seattle Councilmember Tammy Morales was joined by six other local leaders Tuesday to renew a call for rent and mortgage cancellation in Washington and across the United States.

Morales commended Gov. Jay Inslee's eviction moratorium, which is in place through June 4, but said current measures still fall short of the economic relief urgently needed.

"An eviction moratorium won't save you after your workplace has shuttered," Morales wrote on Twitter. "A payment plan only works if you have income to make the payment."

The Seattle council member criticized federal relief, including the one-time $1,200 stimulus payment, as "scraps," and said more money should have gone to American workers rather than bailouts for Wall Street and large corporations.

"We're getting band-aids when we need a tourniquet," Morales wrote. "This is not a time for incrementalism. This is a time for radical change."

Morales urged Inslee to convene a special session to address the growing economic concerns in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. She also asked the governor to extend a freeze on rent increases through the year and urged legislators to "permanently legalize rent control."

Watch the complete news conference here, featuring council members from Redmond, Bellingham and Spokane.

Inslee could announce stay-at-home extension soon

Inslee is considering issuing a second extension for his "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order, and could make an announcement later in the week, his chief of staff said Tuesday. In a phone call with reports, David Postman said the governor has not made a final determination on extending the order, which is set to expire after May 4.

New modeling released Monday by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicted the state could be ready to relax more social distancing guidelines by May 30, if limits on public gatherings remain intact, and the Washington shifts to a containment strategy that includes widespread testing, contact tracing and isolation.

The governor has previously said the state is awaiting an order of 1 million testing swabs, and a 1,500-person contact-tracing rapid response team should be in place by May 11. Inslee recently allowed some construction projects to resume with added precautions and announced new guidelines for outdoor recreation, set to take effect May 5.

Bellevue police report uptick in speeding during coronavirus crisis

The Bellevue Police Department is boosting enforcement and deploying three radar trailers throughout the city as officers report more speeding violations in the weeks since the governor's stay-at-home mandate.

"Unfortunately, right now it's not uncommon to see citations for 60-mph in a 30-mph zone," Capt. Joe Nault said. "Just because traffic volumes are down, doesn't mean the laws of physics go away. The higher the speed, the longer it takes to stop, and the shorter time a driver has to react."

Police said officers would work with transportation officials to place the radar trailers throughout the city, along with a digital reader board, and officers will be conducting high-visibility speeding patrols.

According to the police department, officers will wear protective gear when interacting with drivers, or send citations through the mail.

Last week, the Seattle Times reported Washington State Patrol troopers in two different counties clocked drivers traveling above 120 mph, and noticed an overall increase in speeding incidents on state routes and interstate highways.

Starbucks report plummeting sales across the globe amid pandemic

Starbucks told investors Tuesday that global sales fell approximately 10 percent between January and March, amid widespread business closures related to the international coronavirus response.

The Associated Press reports the Seattle-based coffee company is bracing for even worse sales in the current quarter before leveling off in the summer. Starbucks said it expected the recovery period to continue into next year.

Starbucks has temporarily closed about half its stores across the United States, transitioning others to drive-thru and delivery only. According to the AP, the company plans for most stores to return to operation by early June.

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

Total confirmed cases: 13,842 (786 deaths)

King: 6,001 cases (429 deaths)
Snohomish: 2,365 cases (108 deaths)
Pierce: 1,293 cases (48 deaths)
Yakima: 1,046 cases (45 deaths)
Benton: 415 cases (39 deaths)
Spokane: 350 cases (20 deaths)
Clark: 313 cases (18 deaths)
Skagit: 308 cases (12 deaths)
Whatcom: 293 cases (28 deaths)
Franklin: 265 cases (7 deaths)
Island: 168 cases (9 deaths)
Grant: 155 cases (3 deaths)
Kitsap: 148 cases (2 deaths)
Thurston: 100 cases (1 death)
Chelan: 96 cases (5 deaths)
Douglas: 75 cases (1 death)
Walla Walla: 57 cases
Adams: 46 cases
Cowlitz: 39 cases
Lewis: 29 cases (3 deaths)
Jefferson: 28 cases
Mason: 23 cases (1 death)
Okanogan: 21 cases (1 death)
Asotin: 17 cases (1 death)
Clallam: 17 cases
Klickitat: 16 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 79 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.