Surge in COVID-19 cases driven by Eastern Washington

SPOKANE — Cirio Hernandez Hernandez was thinning apple trees on a June morning in Yakima, grabbing a fistful of tiny apples and knocking off all but one that was left to grow to a marketable size.

It wasn’t the Yakima Valley’s hot temperatures, or the strenuous work, that was causing him discomfort.

“The hardest part is the mask,” Hernandez Hernandez said, because it heats up his face.

But he and his fellow workers in the apple orchard were at least wearing face coverings, the primary protection against the coronavirus, which has surged in Eastern Washington state.

While the coronavirus at first pounded the greater Seattle area, the epicenter has now moved east across the Cascade Range thanks to exploding case loads in June. Washington is seeing rising cases of COVID-19, driven in large part by increasing numbers in Yakima, Benton, Franklin and Spokane counties, the largest communities in Eastern Washington.

“We are seeing very high activity in Yakima, Benton and Franklin counties,” Dr. Kathy Lofy, the state health officer, said on Monday.

It’s no coincidence that Gov. Jay Inslee has visited Yakima, Spokane and the Tri-Cities of Richland, Kennewick and Pasco in the past two weeks to urge citizens to take greater precautions.

The numbers are stark. In the past week, more than 40% of the state’s 2,957 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus occurred within those three metro areas, which make up less than 15% of the state’s population, according to the state Department of Health.

Yakima County, with 250,000 residents, has nearly as many cases as the neighboring state of Oregon, which has more than 4 million residents.

As of last week, Yakima County had recorded 7,270 cases and 159 deaths, according to the state Department of Health. Oregon has seen around 9,000 cases.

The Tri-Cities have had 3,608 cases, including a record 215 last Wednesday, with 115 deaths.

Franklin (45) and Yakima (35.6) counties have the second and third highest rates of newly confirmed daily cases per 100,000 residents among metropolitan areas on the West Coast, the Harvard Global Health Institute reported this week. They trail only Imperial County in California.

Yakima and the Tri-Cities were the only communities in the state still in Phase 1 of Inslee’s gradual reopening process from virus restrictions, which meant they were mostly in lockdown. However on Friday authorities announced that Benton, Franklin and Yakima counties had been approved to move to a modified Phase 1. That allows more activity, like some outdoor seating at restaurants and limited in-store retail business.

Spokane County, which has 520,000 residents, is in Phase 2 with many businesses open.