Washington Reports 15 Deaths, 598 More Coronavirus Cases

SEATTLE — The Washington State Department of Health reported 15 deaths and 598 new lab-confirmed coronavirus cases Friday, for a total of 1,905 dead and 73,301 cases of the disease since the pandemic began.

Deaths Friday were reported in Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, King, Okanogan, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Walla Walla and Yakima counties.

The latest DOH update also shows that a total of 1,423,771 of coronavirus tests have been taken in Washington, meaning about 2.6 percent of those tests come back positive.

One change to look out for in the coming months: the Washington State Department of Health says they will no longer be updating COVID-19 death counts over the weekend. It is unclear what spurred the decision, but officials say those deaths will instead be accounted for on the following Monday and Tuesdays, so expect to see higher death tolls early in the week.

In addition, a problem with hospitalization data likely caused fewer hospitalizations to be reported Friday. The DOH says they hope to have the issue corrected soon.

Otherwise, Friday's update, while slightly higher than previous days this week, represents a continuation of the overall decline in deaths and daily case counts Washington state has seen over the past weeks. Still, health officials say the state is not out of the woods yet.

"While we see some positive trends in our data, we must continue to think differently about the ways we interact with one another," said Secretary of Health John Wiesman. "It remains critical that we limit the size and frequency of our social gatherings, wear face coverings and stay home when we are sick. A continued plateau of cases is not enough to safely open schools."

In fact, while case count appear to have plateaued in counties like Clark and King, and are even declining in others like Pierce and Yakima, a few counties are seeing new growths. In particular, health officials say they are worried about outbreaks and high case counts in Grant, Lewis and Walla Walla counties.

Pullman Police begin to issue coronavirus tickets

When Washington state officials first announced the Safe Start plan and most coronavirus regulations near the beginning of the pandemic, those restrictions came with reassurances that the police would be focusing on instruction and education, rather than strict enforcement and fines for those who break the safety guidelines.

While most police agencies still maintain that is the case, it seems Pullman police have had enough, and are starting to issue tickets for those who gather in large groups in defiance of the restriction on gatherings.

Police in Pullman say they will now fine a party host $250 for gatherings that include over 10 people, and $350 if it's their second violation. After that, party fiends could be slammed with a misdemeanor.

So far, no tickets have been issued and police say they're hopeful they won't have to issue any, but because Pullman is a college town, they wanted to cut off any college parties before they happen.

Read more: In Pullman, Police Begin Issuing Tickets For Large Gatherings

Outbreak at Seatac federal detention center

An outbreak at the Federal Detention Center in Seatac has lead to 37 confirmed cases of the virus. As of Thursday, the facility is reporting that 31 inmates and six of their staff members have tested positive for the virus. However, no deaths or hospitalizations have been reported.

Of the infected inmates, public health officials say 18 were exposed before they were booked into the detention center, and 10 were exposed by an infectious staff member.

"We tried like hell to keep it out," said U.S. District Court Chief Judge Ricardo Martinez. "We were successful for a long time. But it's there now, and it's a serious situation."

Officials say the infections will likely keep local federal courts closed for at least one other month. Prior to the outbreak, they had planned to open them in a limited capacity on September 9.

Read more: 37 Infected In Coronavirus Outbreak At Seatac Detention Center

More changes to agritourism regulations

The governor has announced more changes for Washington's agritourism and agriculture industries. Recently, Gov. Inslee announced new guidance allowing tree farms to reopen to the public, and new guidance released Friday also allows for the return of:

• Hay and wagon rides
• Outdoor corn mazes and haunted houses
• Playgrounds
• Animal viewing
• Private fire pits

Each of those industries and activities all have their own set of guidance restricting what they can and cannot do during the pandemic.

Read the full guidance from the governor's office on agritourism here.

Total coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths by county:

The above numbers are provided by the state Department of Health, and some numbers differ from the totals provided separately by county health agencies.