The total number of cases now exceeds 1,500 since the outbreak began
CLARK COUNTY — Three more people in Clark County died over the weekend due to complications related to COVID-19. Another 92 people tested positive since Friday, bringing the total since the outbreak began to 1,526.
The three most recent deaths were of a man in his 70s with underlying health conditions, a woman in her 60s with underlying health conditions, and a woman in her 80s. It was unknown if that person had underlying health conditions.
Hospitalizations have remained relatively steady in recent days. As of Monday, there were 22 people at Clark County hospitals with a confirmed COVID-19 case, as well as six more awaiting test results.
While the percentage of COVID patients filling up hospital beds has dropped from nearly six percent to 4.5 percent, the total number of beds in the county that are available has dropped below 28 percent for the first time since flu season was declared officially over.
On Monday, Secretary of Health John Wiesman also announced that the state is returning all pending Safe Start reopening applications to the counties that applied, including Clark and Cowlitz Counties.
Clark County applied for Phase 3 of the Safe Start Washington reopening plan on June 26, shortly before cases began to rise quickly here. A week later, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that the reopening plan was being paused statewide due to the rapid increase in cases. Last week that pause was extended through at least July 28.
In a release, Wiesman noted that it would be at least four weeks since all paused or pending Safe Start applications had been received.
“Much has changed during this time period and information in the applications will be outdated,” Wiesman wrote.
Clark County’s rate of new cases has risen from fewer than 18 per 100,000 to more than 54 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days. That is more than double the rate of 25 per 100,000 the state set as part of its reopening metrics.
