Washington Reports 24 Deaths, 404 Confirmed Coronavirus Cases

SEATTLE — Officials with the Washington State Department of Health reported 24 more confirmed cases of the coronavirus Tuesday.

24 deaths in a single day would be an alarmingly high number of fatalities, but the number was actually inflated by two issues with the state's data. Firstly, the state no longer updates the number of coronavirus-related deaths over the weekend. Then, issues with data processing Monday caused the state to pause death reports for an additional day. In total, that means that Tuesday's report of 24 new deaths includes deaths that happened anywhere between Friday and Monday evening, an average of 6 deaths per day.

During that period, deaths were reported in Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clark, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Whatcom, and Yakima counties.

Tuesday's report also included 404 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, bringing the running total to 87,042 COVID-19 cases in Washington state since the pandemic began in spring.

Some issues with the state's data reporting system have lingered: as a result, hospitalization data may be incomplete. The DOH says they expect to have the issue fixed and the data updated Wednesday.

Catch up on the latest developments:

Experts: flu vaccine 'essential' this year

Flu season is coming up, and while Washington's hospitals can normally handle the influx of new flu patients just fine, many are worried that a flu season amid the pandemic could place an extreme amount of strain on the system.

That's why this year doctors are urging everyone who can to get vaccinated.

"While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect our daily lives, autumn brings with it another unwanted visitor -- the flu," the health department wrote Tuesday. "The presence of both viruses could put more people in the hospital and strain Washington's health care system. While we don't yet have a vaccine to prevent COVID-19, we do have one to prevent flu."

The flu shot is encouraged for anyone six months old or older, with a special emphasis on young children, seniors, or those with underlying health conditions that impact the respiratory system.

"Think of it as essential to get a flu vaccine this year," said Dr. Kathy Lofy, the state health officer. "We should all get a flu vaccine now to help protect ourselves and our communities as we navigate this pandemic together."

Read more: This Year's Flu Vaccine Is 'Essential,' Health Officials Say

Making Halloween festivities pandemic-proof

This Halloween is all but guaranteed to look different from last year's, but it doesn't mean we can't celebrate the holiday at all.

Tuesday the Pierce County Health Department put out extra guidance explaining what is, and what is not, safe for a Halloween pandemic celebration. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they say that door to door trick-or-treating is a big concern for coronavirus transmissions, as are indoor haunted houses. On the other hand, trick-or-treating while wearing facial coverings and observing physical distancing recommendations are safer than no precautions at all.

Other high risk activities include:

• Trunk-or-treating, when children gather candy from cars in parking lots.
• Indoor parties, especially crowded parties.
• Indoor haunted houses.
• Hayrides with people who are not from your household.
• Long distance travel outside your community to attend Halloween or fall events.

For a list of lower risk activities and suggestions: Here Are The Dos And Don'ts Of A Pandemic Halloween

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.