Washington Adds 1,101 Coronavirus Cases, Highest Single-Day Total

SEATTLE, WA — State health officials confirmed 1,101 new coronavirus cases in Washington on Monday, surpassing Washington's previous single-day record set earlier this month. Over the weekend, the state reported 1,438 illnesses, accounting for a two-day increase, after the data monitoring system went offline for maintenance Saturday.

The latest data show 39 deaths removed from the statewide death toll, including 13 in King County and 10 in Yakima County, decreasing from 1,438 Sunday to 1,399 Monday night. According to a note posted on the Department of Health website, the reduction followed an additional review of contributing factors for each death.

"All of these are natural deaths, and after review it was determined that COVID-19 did not cause or contribute to the death," officials wrote. "We will continue to update death counts as additional information on cause of death is received."

At least 41,757 people have now tested positive for COVID-19 in Washington. More than 708,000 Washingtonians have been tested for the virus, with about 5.9 percent of tests coming back positive.

Catch up on the latest developments:

Inslee requests extension to National Guard's coronavirus mission

Gov. Jay Inslee sent a letter to the Trump administration Monday, formally requesting an extension in authority and funding for the National Guard to continue its coronavirus emergency response in Washington through the end of the year.

The governor mentions the hundreds of guard members who currently assist the state's contact tracing and testing efforts, along with helping local food banks.

"Currently, more than 1,000 Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen are assisting with critical missions that keep our food banks operational and our neighbors fed," Inslee wrote. "They are critical to our efforts to slow the spread of the virus by supporting COVID-mapping missions, assembling test kits, and operating community-based test sites."

Read more: Inslee Requests National Guard Extend Coronavirus Response

Antibody testing shows 3 percent of UW Medicine workers have contracted COVID-19

The latest round of antibody testing shows just 3 percent of UW Medicine frontline workers have fallen ill with COVID-19 since the crisis began, the hospital system announced Monday. That number is slightly below the rate of infection seen among residents across Washington.

UW Medicine credits extensive training, enhanced safety precautions, easy access to testing and personal protective equipment in helping keep infections from spreading to more employees.

"The low overall rate of past infections in workers directly interacting with and caring for COVID-19 patients is a testament to our preparedness efforts and continued commitment to keeping employees said," said Dr. John Lynch with Harborview Medical Center.

The hospital system says it plans to complete two more phases of antibody testing and will publish their complete findings in a research journal.

Read more: UW Medicine: Antibody Tests Found Lower COVID-19 Rate Among Staff

Employees at 2 veterans homes test positive for coronavirus

Employees at veterans homes in two Washington cities were recently diagnosed with COVID-19, according to the state Department of Veterans Affairs.

The illnesses were confirmed among an employee working at the Washington Veterans Home in Port Orchard, and an employee at the Washington Soldiers Home in Orting. State officials say both facilities are working to implement additional cleaning, screening and testing procedures.

According to a news release shared Saturday, the homes will perform symptom and temperature checks every four hours on all residents for the next two weeks. Staff members will continue to be screened for symptoms each day upon arrival and required to report any symptoms that may arrive after a shift.

Coronavirus cases 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.

This article originally appeared on the Seattle Patch