Three more Whatcom residents test positive for coronavirus, Health Department says
Three more people from Whatcom County have tested positive for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, according to information released Tuesday, March 17, from the county and state health departments.
That means a total of six Whatcom County residents have been diagnosed with the respiratory illness.
One of the new cases is identified as a man in his 40s and the second is a man in his 60s who is in St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, the Whatcom County Health Department announced in a release on Tuesday.
The case investigation is ongoing, but the county health department said it appears that at least one of the men had no known contact with another person diagnosed with the illness.
Figures released late Tuesday by the Washington State Health Department showed a sixth confirmed case in Whatcom County.
Public health officials in Whatcom County said Tuesday evening that they didn’t yet have information about the sixth case.
A woman in her 20s was identified Sunday, March 15, as the third COVID-19 case in Whatcom County. She was a Western Washington University student who lived off-campus in Bellingham, the university said Monday.
In the second case in Whatcom, a woman in her 40s tested positive for COVID-19 after self-isolating when she was notified that she was in close contact with a confirmed case from another county, the Health Department announced Friday, March 13.
Whatcom County’s first confirmed case of COVID-19 was announced on Tuesday, March 10, after a woman in her 60s received medical care at St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham. Her condition improved and she was discharged.
She then self-isolated at home. The woman who was the first confirmed case in Whatcom has no known international travel history, the Health Department said.
The Health Department also is helping to track two confirmed cases from other counties. Those residents lived in King and Snohomish counties but they worked in Whatcom County. One was a Lummi Indian Business Council employee and the other was a Western Washington University contract construction worker.
On Tuesday, March 17, the Whatcom County Health Department also reported that the running number of negative results totaled 166.
That was up from 129 negative test results on Monday, March 16.
More than 197,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 7,900 deaths as of Tuesday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 6,400 confirmed cases, with at least 108 deaths.
The Washington State Department of Health reported 52 deaths and 1,012 confirmed cases in the state as of Monday afternoon. Those totals don’t include the two new cases in Whatcom County or new cases from other Washington counties.
At least 43 people have died of COVID-19 in King County, six in Snohomish County, one in Grant County, and two in Clark County.
So far, confirmed cases have been found in 20 counties — Chelan, Clark, Columbia, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Lewis, Lincoln, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Whatcom and Yakima. The list also includes cases that are unassigned to counties.
About coronavirus
COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019, is the name of the disease that first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, before spreading to other countries, including the U.S. It is caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2.
The disease is spread through contact between people within six feet of each other — what’s referred to as close contact — especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s possible to catch COVID-19 by touching something that has the virus on it, and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Symptoms may occur two days to two weeks after exposure. Although most of the cases have been mild, the disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
What you can do
The Whatcom County Health Department continues to remind people of the steps they can take to protect themselves and others from becoming infected by the virus that causes COVID-19.
They include:
▪ Maintaining a distance of six feet from others when possible.
▪ Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
▪ Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth with hands that haven’t been washed.
▪ Stay away from people who are sick.
▪ Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, throw the tissue in the trash and then wash your hands.
▪ Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces.
▪ Don’t gather in groups of 10 or more people.
▪ Stay home if you feel sick.
▪ If your symptoms are mild, stay home and care for yourself like you would if you have a cold or flu.
▪ If your symptoms are severe and require medical care, first call your doctor.
▪ Don’t go to the emergency room, it needs to be able to serve those with the most critical needs.
▪ Wondering if you need to be tested? Your health care provider will decide that.
Stay informed
▪ https://whatcomcounty.us/ncov
▪ doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus. Call a hotline at 1-800-525-0127 and then press # for questions about what is happening in Washington state, how the virus spreads, and what to do if you have symptoms.
▪ cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. Email general questions about COVID-19 in Whatcom County to covid@co.whatcom.wa.us.
▪ cob.org/services/safety/emergencies/Pages/covid-19.aspx
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 11:40 AM.
