Washington Reports 664 New Coronavirus Cases; 19 More Dead

SEATTLE, WA — Health officials reported 664 new coronavirus cases and 19 additional deaths in Washington on Tuesday, as the state passed 59,000 COVID-19 illnesses diagnosed since the crisis began. Per the latest data, at least 1,619 patients have now died from complications linked to the virus across the state. Health labs have processed more than 1,009,000 tests in Washington, with 5.9 percent returning positive.

Nearly 5,394 new illnesses have been confirmed in Washington over the last seven days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's case tracker. Most of the state's counties still show a rate of cases by population much higher than the target threshold of 25 cases per 100,000 residents over 14 days.

According to the Department of Health, at least 424 patients are currently hospitalized with confirmed or likely COVID-19 illnesses in Washington — an increase of 23 from the day before. Health officials continue to closely monitor hospital activity and occupancy, coordinate transfers and reprioritize distribution of protective gear to frontline workers as needed.

View detailed information on virus activity and trends in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

Catch up on the latest developments:

New report tracks industries with most coronavirus outbreaks

A new state report, compiled using information from local health jurisdictions, illustrates the volume of coronavirus outbreaks seen in Washington since February, classified by setting.

As of August 1, the state Department of Health recorded 459 COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care facilities, 53 outbreaks at other healthcare facilities, and 411 among non-healthcare settings.

Outside of healthcare, some of the leading sources of outbreaks were among agriculture and food manufacturing industries, retail and grocery settings, restaurants and private events.

The state will update an outbreak tracker weekly via the state's coronavirus dashboard.

Read more: DOH Report Shows Which Industries See More Coronavirus Outbreaks

Health officials emphasize the importance of keeping social circles small

State health officials are emphasizing the importance of keeping social circles small, to lessen the likelihood of unintentional spread of the coronavirus among groups of friends.

"If one of your friends had a fever and a cough, you would send them to bed and reschedule your time together," officials wrote. "But 30-40% of people who've gotten COVID-19 got it from someone with no symptoms. That is, they got it from someone who looked, felt, and acted just like normal."

Under Gov. Jay Inslee's Safe Start plan, gatherings are capped at five people in Phase 2 counties, and 10 people in Phase 3 counties. In Yakima, Benton and Franklin counties, gatherings of any size are not advised.

According to state health officials, large social gatherings continue to be a big source of increased coronavirus transmission across Washington.

State guidance for social gatherings:

Read more: Keep your social circle small. Very small.

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.

This article originally appeared on the Seattle Patch