Case updates July 26, 2021 - Urgency to mask up again grows as delta variant spreads

With area public health agencies and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention again urging people to wear masks in public indoor spaces, the assistant director of UW Medicine Clinical Virology Laboratory says proof exists that masks can slow COVID-19 variants and thereby save lives.

"It's helpful to reduce the spread of the virus," says Dr. Alex Greninger. "We've shown that before and we'll continue to show it.”

While the renewed effort aims to slow the now-dominant delta variant in both Washington state and nationally, wearing a mask will have the added benefit of staving off other viruses that circulate among populations, Greninger says.

"COVID is sort of like the front man for all the other respiratory viruses going on right now."

Case updates July 26, 2021

 

United States 

• Total cases  34,548,847  - 53,772 new cases
• Total deaths 609,012 - 286 new deaths

Washington state - not updated on weekends

• Total confirmed cases 430,103 - 766 new
• Probable (additional) cases 40,230 - 259 new
• Total hospitalizations 26,566- 68 new
• Total deaths 6,097- 8 new 

King county - not updated on weekends

• Total confirmed cases 111,112 - 98 new
• Total hospitalizations 6,647 -   -4 new
• Total deaths 1,682 - 0  new 

Seattle - not updated on weekends

• Total confirmed cases 26,512 - 27 new
• Total hospitalizations 1,468 - 0 new
• Total deaths 425 - 0 new 

Shoreline - not updated on weekends

• Total confirmed cases 2,552 -   -2 new
• Total hospitalizations 212 - 0 new
• Total deaths 101 - 0 new

Lake Forest Park - not updated on weekends

• Total confirmed cases 345 -   -1 new
• Total hospitalizations 19 -  1 new
• Total deaths 4 - 0 new