Two local counties surge with COVID-19

Two local counties reported two more deaths this week amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in their counties, in the state and in many parts of the nation.

Okanogan County Public Health reported that 71 new cases of COVID-19 emerged in the county on Monday and Tuesday alone, with over half its cases all year breaking out within the last two weeks - 147 of its total of 263. 

Those include the county's third death, which OCPH learned of yesterday. The victim was an agricultural worker from Mexico in his 30s, who contracted the illness in Okanogan County and died July 8.

Grant County Health District reported its eighth death Monday. The Mattawa man in his 50s died at home and likely acquired the illness in the community, not at work, GCHD said.

GCHD has reported 167 new coronavirus victims in the last week, through Tuesday, or 19 percent of its 862 cases, 44 percent of them between the ages of 19 and 40.

Three cases in Grant County are attributed to the Grand Coulee area.

Douglas County has reported 400 cases, including three deaths, according to the Washington State Department of Health. Lincoln County has had four cases of COVID-19, no deaths.

Washington state as a whole has had 42,304 cases with 1,404 deaths.

Out of the 718,234 people tested in the state, the 42,304 confirmed cases means that 5.9 percent of those tested are positive.

Nationally, the United States has reported 3,363,056 cases, and 135,605 deaths since Jan. 21, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, which is tracking data on the disease worldwide.

Everyone can do their part to stop the spread of this disease by:

Staying home as much as possible,

Physical Distancing of 6 feet whenever you around others outside your household,

Wearing a face covering whenever going into public, and

Washing your hands often.

— Grant County Health District