Case updates December 9, 2020; Department of Health improves how it reports COVID-19 deaths

To provide more accurate daily reports, the Washington State Department of Health is making changes to how it reports deaths from COVID-19. 

Deaths due to factors other than COVID-19 can be hard to definitively rule out. 

For many of these conditions, COVID-19 may have hastened the death. 

These are the deaths they are reviewing, along with local health jurisdictions, to assess COVID-19’s impact on the death.

These changes will result in an adjustment of death totals, including a removal of some deaths from figures made public.

The changes will create a longer delay in reporting deaths but will ultimately produce a more accurate picture when the death is reported.

Changes also call for adaptations in reconciling death reports with local health agencies.


Case updates December 9, 2020

United States

• cases 15,271,571 - 231,396 cases since yesterday
• deaths 288,762 - 3,411 deaths since yesterday

Washington state

• cases 192,413 - 2,550 since last report
• hospitalizations 12,084 - 88 since last report
• deaths 2,850 - -166 since last report

King county

• cases 51,671 - 820 since yesterday
• hospitalizations 3,543 - 57 since yesterday
• deaths 920 - 3 since yesterday

Seattle - population 744,995 (2018)

• cases 12,924 - 217 since yesterday
• hospitalizations 834 - 16 since yesterday
• deaths 219 - 4 since yesterday

Shoreline - population 56,752 (2018)

• cases 1,318 - 13 since yesterday
• hospitalizations 140 - 1 since yesterday
• deaths 75 - 1 since yesterday

Lake Forest Park - 13,569 (2018)

• cases 154 - 0 since yesterday
• hospitalizations 10 - 0 since yesterday
• deaths 2 - 0 since yesterday