It's been five years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, turning our lives upside down. It's not exactly an anniversary anyone wants to celebrate.
But there is some good COVID-19 news in Washington: Due to a sharp drop in the number of deaths caused by the virus last year, COVID-19 fell out of the 10 leading causes of death in the state. It's the first time that has happened since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
According to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 627 deaths from COVID-19 in Washington last year, for a crude rate of 8 per 100,000 people. That represents a 35 percent decline from 2023, when there were 969 deaths from the virus, or 12.4 deaths per 100,000 people.
On the CDC's ranking of the 15 leading underlying causes of death in Washington, COVID-19 dropped from 10th in 2023 to 13th last year.
The preliminary data shows the decline continuing into this year. As of March 15, there have been 54 deaths statewide from the virus. That doesn't rank among the 15 leading causes, although of course that could change by the end of the year.
In 2020, the first year of the pandemic, there were 3,284 deaths from COVID-19, and it ranked as the fourth leading cause of death in Washington. That number increased to 5,451 in 2021, the peak year, when COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the state.
COVID-19 ranks 13th among causes of death in WA
In 2024, COVID-19 was the 13th leading cause of death in Washington, marking the first time it dropped out of the top 10 since the virus emerged in 2020.
Source: CDC (Reporting by Gene Balk, graphic by Mark Nowlin / The Seattle Times)
The number of deaths fell sharply to 2,918 in 2022, and has continued to decline. According to the American Medical Association, vaccines and treatments, and the evolution of the virus itself over time, have helped lower the death rate.
While it's great news that the number of deaths has fallen, the virus continues to circulate, and it remains a major public health concern. According to the CDC, around 7% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. develop into "long COVID," in which a litany of symptoms endure for at least three months, and can result in disability.
Deaths from COVID-19 have declined among all age groups, but remain highest for older people. In Washington, 567 of the deaths from the virus in 2024, or around 90%, were among people 65 and older. Washingtonians age 85 and older accounted for 287 of those deaths, for a rate of 225.7 deaths per 100,000 people, much higher than any other age group.
There were no deaths from COVID-19 recorded for people under age 35 in Washington in 2024.
The death rate among men was 8.5 per 100,000 people last year, a little higher than the rate among women, at 7.5 per 100,000. The rate has been higher among men than women each year in Washington.
Nationally, there were 31,344 deaths from COVID-19 last year, for a rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people. COVID-19 ranked 15th among the 15 leading causes of death.
That represents a sharp drop from 2023, when there were 49,932 deaths nationally, for a rate of 14.9 per 100,000. COVID-19 ranked 10th among the 15 leading causes of death in 2023.
Washington had the seventh lowest death rate among the states in 2024. The lowest rate was in Utah, at 4.7 per 100,000 people. The highest rate was in West Virginia, at 16.9 per 100,000.
The leading cause of death in Washington last year was malignant neoplasm, or cancer, the cause of 13,826 deaths. Heart disease, which resulted in 12,618 deaths, was second, and accidents, the cause of 4,179 deaths, ranked third.
COVID-19 wasn't the only major cause of death to decline significantly in Washington last year. Deaths due to accidents fell by 33% from 2023, and deaths from suicide fell by 30%.
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