One more Whatcom resident tests positive for coronavirus, Health Department says
One more person from Whatcom County has tested positive for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, according to information released Wednesday, March 18, from the Whatcom County Health Department.
That means a total of seven Whatcom County residents have been diagnosed with the respiratory illness.
The sixth case was reported Tuesday evening by the state Department of Health, but Whatcom County officials didn’t have information on that case on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the county health department said that the sixth and seventh case of COVID-19 confirmed in Whatcom are a man in his 50s and a male teenager.
“We’re collaborating with Lummi Public Health Department on both of these disease investigations, as we do for all disease investigations that fall under tribal jurisdiction,” Whatcom County Health Department spokeswoman Melissa Morin said.
“One case is a known close contact of a lab-confirmed case. The disease investigation for the other case is ongoing,” Morin said to The Bellingham Herald.
Lummi Nation announced the two new cases in a release on Tuesday, March 17. The tribe said the cases were:
▪ A non-tribal employee of the Lummi Indian Business Council who lives in Whatcom County.
▪ A Lummi community member who lives on the Lummi reservation.
Also on Wednesday, the Whatcom County Health Department reported that the number of people in Whatcom County who tested negative for COVID-19 has grown to 209.
That was up from the 166 as of Tuesday, March 17.
The health department is warning Whatcom County residents that the risk to the general public is increasing because a growing number of cases here aren’t linked directly to a known source — making it clear there is community spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.
“Local and regional case and contact investigations indicate that people are being infected without contact to a known case and in people without a travel history,” the health department said Wednesday in a news release. “This tells us that there are far more underlying cases in the community than the known confirmed cases reported on our website daily.”
Officials are telling Whatcom County residents to take care.
“It’s important for everyone to realize that the social distancing actions required by the governor, and the further recommendations from our Whatcom County Health Officer, are a vitally important part of our defense against the spread of COVID-19,” said Cindy Hollinsworth, Communicable Disease and Epidemiology manager for the health department.”
To help control the outbreak, Hollinsworth said it was essential for people to wash their hands frequently, stay home if they any symptom of a respiratory illness, and, if gathering, to limit the size to fewer than 10 people.
More than 214,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 8,700 deaths as of Wednesday afternoon according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 7,700 confirmed cases, with at least 118 deaths.
The Washington State Department of Health reported 66 deaths and 1,187 confirmed cases in the state as of Wednesday afternoon. Confirmed cases are now in 22 of the state’s 39 counties, including 14 reported cases in Skagit County just to the south of Whatcom.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
COVID-19, the new coronavirus, is a disease caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2.
The disease is spread through contact between people within six feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.
Although most of the cases have been mild, the disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
Click the drop-down icon in the upper right of this card for more information on symptoms and how to stop its spread.
What you can do
Here’s what you can do to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, according to the Whatcom County Health Department.
▪ Keep six feet between yourself and others when in public.
▪ Wash your 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.
▪ Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, throw the tissue in the trash and then wash your hands.
▪ Stay home if you feel sick. Avoid others who are sick.
▪ If your symptoms are severe and require medical care, call your doctor first.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 12:16 PM.
