2,000 have died of coronavirus in Washington state. That's halfway to China's total death toll

According to the latest numbers from the state's Department of Health, Washington has now suffered more than 2,000 deaths related to Covid-19.

As of Monday afternoon, there have been 2,006 recorded deaths from Covid-19, and 80,138 confirmed cases since the pandemic began in early 2020.

The state's death rate still hovers at 2.5% --percentage of people who die after getting infected.

Washington stands out in the region when considering Covid-19 cases and deaths. Neighboring Oregon has recorded just over 500 deaths. Idaho has a little more than 400. British Columbia has recorded 213 deaths over the year and maintains relatively low case counts.

Washington state is still coming down of its largest peak in cases that struck in July.

The majority of confirmed Covid-19 cases has been among younger people, those ages 20-39 (49%) and ages 40-59 (29%). Deaths from the disease are far more prevalent in ages 80 and older (51%) and ages 60-79 (38%).

Health officials have warned about cases spreading among younger populations and then passing onto the older population, or people with pre-existing health conditions, where the virus is far more deadly.

About half of all deaths in the state are linked to a long-term care facility – people who lived or worked at a place like a nursing home, for example.

There are also considerable racial disparities among the numbers. Pacific Islanders, Hispanic people, American Indians and Alaska Natives are dying from Covid-19 at the highest rates in Washington state.

The first deaths happened mid-February. Over a month later, the state hit a peak with around 30 people dying each day. That number dropped dramatically over the spring. Infections spiked worse than before in July. But even though more people were testing positive, fewer people were dying (an average of around 15 a day).

National numbers

The United States is roughly 1,000 deaths away from 200,000 total deaths, making it the country most affected by novel coronavirus.

Washington was the first US state to record a case of the virus, in mid-January. That's when an Everett man who had traveled to Wuhan, China, was found to have been infected. The virus spread and was further detected in late February as it spread further.

At the same time, the United States also began recording infections that stemmed from European travelers.

So far, deaths counts elsewhere in the country and across the globe stand at:

• USA: 198,116
• Italy: 35,624
• New York state: 32,629
• California: 14,419
• Mainland China: 4,634
• Korea: 363