Number of E. coli cases linked to Chipotle restaurants rises by one

The growth in the number of people sickened with E. coli after eating at regional Chipotle restaurants appears to be slowing.

Health officials on Thursday reported 40 cases of E. coli tied to Chipotle restaurants in Washington and Oregon — up just one case from the previous day.

Washington health officials reduced their total number of cases from 29 to 28 after additional testing concluded an ill Clark County resident was not linked to the current outbreak. That change reduced the number of hospitalizations in Washington to 10, according to health officials.

The majority of the Washington cases are in Clark County, where 11 people have been sickened. The other cases are in King (6), Skagit (5), Cowlitz (3), Island (2) and Whatcom (1) counties. The ages of people involved range from 1 to 67 years old.

Oregon health officials reported 12 cases as of Thursday — up two cases from Wednesday. Those cases are in Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington and Columbia counties.

In Oregon, the ages of people involved in the outbreak range from 11 to 61 years old. Two people have been hospitalized.

No deaths have been reported.

Chipotle voluntarily closed 43 of its restaurants in Washington and Oregon as a precaution, including both Clark County locations. The restaurants remain closed.