Hospitals full in Washington’s Yakima County

YAKIMA, Wash. — Yakima County has the highest rate of coronavirus infection in Washington state and its hospitals are beyond capacity with sick patients.

The Yakima Health District said Friday that there was no space for more patients the previous night at Virginia Mason Memorial hospital in Yakima, which has more than 200 beds.

The Seattle Times reports that at least 17 patients had already been transferred out of Yakima County. That leaves 61 individuals in Yakima hospital beds with COVID-19 diagnoses, the county’s highest to date.

Yakima County accounts for 22% of all hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Washington state — 61 of 242 cases. It has more cases than King County, which is home to Seattle and has almost 10 times more people than Yakima Count. (AFP)