KENNEWICK, Wash.-- The Benton-Franklin Health District (BFHD) reported twelve new cases of patients who either tested positive for COVID-19 or are showing symptoms of the illness and are connected to another person who has been confirmed to be positive.


The health agency also confirmed one additional death after a Benton County man who was at least 100 years old passed away due to complications from the illness.


That brings the total number of confirmed and probable cases to 853, and the number of deaths to 43.

The health agency is also breaking down the numbers of infected persons at local long-term health and rehab centers, showing that there are 231 cases of COVID-19 related to those facilities. That breaks down to 130 cases in residents at the facilities, and 101 caregivers and staff members who have the virus.


BFHD hasn't confirmed any additional cases of COVID-19 related to the Tyson Fresh Meats facility in Wallula, but they started working with the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health on Friday to test about 1,400 workers at the plant, after more than 120 people with a connection to the facility tested positive for coronavirus.


Over the weekend, the CDC released six new symptoms of COVID-19, to include:

  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath of difficulty breathing
  • Chills
  • Repeated shaking with chills
  • Muscle pain
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • New loss of taste or smell

These signs may appear between two to 14 days after being exposed to the virus.


Nearly a quarter-million people have died from COVID-19 around the globe, sickening 2.89 million, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

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