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 Friday, March 20, by the Whatcom County Health Department.
The most recent cases are:
▪ A man in his 60s.
▪ A woman in her 50s.
▪ A man in his 80s who lives in a skilled nursing facility. Whatcom Unified Command Joint Information Center, which is overseeing the COVID-19 response in Whatcom County, refused to name the facility.
“The Whatcom County Health Department is working closely with the Washington State Department of Health and facility administrators to take measures to protect facility residents and staff. This includes testing all residents and testing all symptomatic employees,” the Health Department said in a release.
The newest numbers mean a total of 10 Whatcom County residents who have been diagnosed with the respiratory illness. The number includes the one person in Whatcom County — a man in his 60s — who died from COVID-19 on Thursday, March 19.
Whatcom County health officials are not revealing the towns in which people who have tested positive live, saying it would violate federal patient privacy laws.
Also on Friday, the Whatcom County Health Department reported that the number of people in Whatcom County who tested negative for COVID-19 has grown to 240.
That was up from the 220 as of Thursday.
More than 265,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 11,100 deaths as of Friday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 16,000 confirmed cases, with at least 210 deaths.
The Washington State Department of Health reported 83 deaths and 1,524 confirmed cases in the state as of Friday afternoon.
State Department of Health data also showed 21,719 negative tests.
And while state data showed the illness has struck people of all ages, it has been particularly deadly for those who are older.
The data, so far, showed that:
▪ 60% of deaths were those who were 80 years and older.
▪ 23% were 70 to 79 years old.
▪ 10% were 60 to 69 years old.
▪ 4% were 50 to 59 years old.
▪ 2% were 40 to 49 years old.
▪ 0% of deaths in those up to 39 years of age.
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 20, 2020 at 12:14 PM.