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Yakima County has highest rate of coronavirus cases on West Coast

By KIRO 7 News Staff and Associated Press

Coronavirus FILE - This illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in January 2020 shows the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). The coronavirus outbreak has exposed a seeming disconnect between the financial markets and science. Health experts are uncertain how far the virus out of China will spread and how bad the crisis will get, yet stock markets are rallying as if they’re not expecting more than a modest hit to the global economy. (CDC via AP, File) (AP)

By KIRO 7 News Staff and Associated Press

YAKIMA, Wash. — The highest rate of coronavirus cases in Washington is in Yakima County, an eastern agricultural giant that has more than double the state average of cases per 100,000 people.

In fact, the county of 250,000 people has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases of any county on the West Coast.

As of Friday, Yakima County had 1,128 positive cases, a rate of 455 cases per 100,000 residents.

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Yakima County also reports 47 coronavirus deaths, according to data from the Washington Department of Health.

Health experts point to a large number of essential workers, a large number of cases in long-term care facilities and a large agricultural workforce living and working in close quarters as the causes.

© 2020 Cox Media Group

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