Spokane County reports 11 new virus cases, no deaths; Yakima field hospital to close

Spokane County reported 11 new COVID-19 cases, 10 of which were part of an outbreak at the Spokane Veterans Home, and no additional deaths on Saturday.

That brings the county totals to 262 and 14, respectively.

While those numbers are expected to grow, a new University of Washington study indicates the state’s peak in daily deaths occurred five days ago – but that the toll from the coronavirus is far from over.

The state has seen 491 deaths from the virus so far, and the study projects 351 additional COVID-19 deaths by May 11, for a total of 842.

And that’s if circumstances proceed under existing orders. Other models suggest case counts could see a resurgence if strategies like social distancing orders were loosened in mid-April.

Statewide, cases climbed by about 300 to 10,200 and deaths increased by 16, according to the state health department. Some 6,900 of those cases were attributed to King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties.

Garfield County remained the sole county without a confirmed case statewide, according to the state health department. Health districts east of the Cascades reported more than 1,300 confirmed cases and close to 70 deaths as of Saturday.

In Yakima County, where the health district reported 511 cases and 20 deaths on Friday, state officials made the decision to close the field hospital at the former Astria Regional Medical Center and requested that the approximate 100 U.S. Health and Human Services personnel and other resources there be diverted to long-term care facilities hit by COVID-19 in other parts of the state.

The Yakima field hospital was equipped to serve 250 non-COVID-19 patients without severe conditions in order to relieve capacity at other local hospitals. The county health district reported 20 hospitalizations as of Friday.

“Yakima and the surrounding area have done such a good job, building their capacity and creating their own relief system at the local ‘Freedom Field,’ that the state can now take more of a support role,” said retired Navy Vice Admiral Raquel Bono, the state’s COVID-19 response director, in a statement.

Bono added she is confident that rural health care centers in Eastern Washington are prepared for COVID-19. The University of Washington study projected the state’s peak hospital resource use was on April 5.

Gov. Jay Inslee said the decision in Yakima – which followed news of the closure of a field hospital at the CenturyLink event center in Seattle last week – is a sign of the slowing spread of the novel coronavirus but noted that communities can’t let up on preventative measures yet.

The state health department will still retain the Astria facility in Yakima so it can reopen quickly in the case of a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Across the border in Idaho, where the University of Washington study projected the state’s peak in daily deaths was two days ago, Kootenai County reported 44 cases and Bonner County had four on Saturday, according to the Panhandle Health District. Five people have been hospitalized in the Panhandle and 24 cases are no longer being monitored.

In north central Idaho, officials reported 19 cases and five deaths in Nez Perce County as of Saturday, along with three each in Latah and Idaho counties.

Statewide, Idaho reported just over 1,400 COVID-19 cases and 27 deaths on Saturday, which was an increase of 11 cases and two deaths, according to the state health department. About 130 were hospitalized in Idaho as of Saturday.

The University of Washington study estimates a total of 61 COVID-19 deaths in Idaho by May 8.

The state is projected to reach peak hospital resource usage next Saturday but not face a shortage of beds, according to the study.

Editor’s Note: This story has been changed to correct the number of new cases of COVID-19.