Fourteen new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported Sunday in Spokane County.

That brings the total tally of people who’ve contracted the respiratory disease linked to the novel coronavirus close to 1,000 since the outbreak began in March. The Spokane Regional Health District has confirmed 976 cases of the virus.

Six people have died in June after contracting the disease, according to health district data. In total, 37 people have died in the county after testing positive for the disease.

For the week ending Sunday, 144 new cases of the novel coronavirus were reported. That’s up from 94 the previous week. This week, Spokane County Health Officer Bob Lutz denied a request by Spokane County Commissioners to move to the next phase of reopening under Gov. Jay Inslee’s tiered approach to returning to business following stay-home orders.

Providence Health & Services, operator of Sacred Heart Medical Center and Holy Family Hospital, released a statement Friday supporting Lutz’s decision to remain in Phase 2:

“The data shows us that COVID cases are rising, not only due to increased testing capability, but also through community spread. While we have capacity at our hospitals, we do not support starting the process to move into Phase 3 reopening because it has the potential to put undue stress on our health care system and put a greater number of individuals at risk.”

Nine people from Spokane County remain hospitalized for COVID-19 care at area hospitals, according to the health district. To date, 101 people have been hospitalized following a diagnosis.