Daily coronavirus case counts jump in Washington

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington set a daily record for new coronavirus cases this week and has counted more than 1,000 cases per day for two days. The state Department of Health says 1,469 infections were tallied on Tuesday, breaking a daily case record.

The previous record for confirmed cases of the coronavirus was set July 16, when state health officials reported 1,267 new cases, The Seattle Times reported. The state said it’s difficult to know whether Tuesday’s cases represent an acceleration in transmission or just a random variation in reported cases from day to day.

Cases on Wednesday, however, also topped 1,000 with 1,070 new COVID-19 cases. Fifteen additional deaths were also reported, state officials said.

“Regardless, we continue to be extremely concerned about the increasing spread of COVID-19 in our state and are actively discussing additional measures we may need to take to better control the pandemic in Washington,” the agency said in a statement.

The update brings the state’s totals to 112,500 cases and 2,431 deaths.

The state also reported that 8,784 people have been hospitalized in the state due to the virus with 49 new hospitalizations since the weekend.