Washington Surpasses 100,000 Confirmed Coronavirus Cases

WASHINGTON — Thursday afternoon's update from the Washington State Department of Health brought with it an unpleasant milestone for the evergreen state: Washington has now had more than 100,000 COVID-19 cases since the coronavirus pandemic began in spring.

As of the DOH's latest update, exactly 100,525 coronavirus cases have been laboratory confirmed in Washington state, and a total of 2,289 people have died due to the pandemic.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee took the time to reflect on the news' significance on Twitter Thursday morning, noting that it comes as case counts are on the rise once again across the state.

According to the latest update from the state's COVID-19 Risk Assessment Dashboard, Washington state is seeing a rate of 104.2 coronavirus diagnoses per ever 100,000 residents over the past two weeks— a significant jump from early September ago when the rate hovered closer to 70 and well into what the state defines as a "high risk" situation. Washington's stated goal is to get the rate of infections over fourteen days to fewer than 25 infections per 100,000 residents, but the closest they've gotten thus far was in early-to-mid-May, when the rate approached 40.

Some counties are struggling with a higher rate of infections than others. Thursday, Pierce County Health reported that their 14-day case rate per 100,000 is 114.4. Benton County is even high with a rate of 152.1, though some rural counties like Columbia and Lewis have rates in the single digits.

As Inslee noted, fortunately the rising rate of infections hasn't yet led to an increase in deaths.

Amidst the apparent climb in new coronavirus cases and the inauspicious six-figure milestone of 100,000 cases, health departments across the state continue to share a unified message: treat the pandemic with caution and Washington can control coronavirus transmissions. That means wearing a mask, practicing safe social distancing, avoiding indoor gatherings and staying home if you're sick or have recently been exposed to COVID-19.