Two more Whatcom County residents are being tested for coronavirus
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The number of people being tested for the new coronavirus in Whatcom County is now at three, according to numbers posted on the Whatcom County Health Department website.
On Tuesday, March 3, public health officials told The Bellingham Herald about one person possibly ill with coronavirus was being tested.
Now, there are two more people who are ill and being tested for what also is called COVID-19, according to a daily update on the county health department’s website.
Samples were sent to the Washington State Public Health Laboratory in Shoreline to be tested, and results for all three are pending.
Results should take up to 48 hours to process, the Whatcom County Health Department said in a release on Wednesday, March 4.
The recent numbers posted by the Whatcom County Health Department focus only on samples sent to the Washington State Public Health Laboratory in Shoreline for testing.
The three Whatcom County residents were tested under the previous guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to include those who have symptoms but haven’t recently come into contact with someone known to be ill with COVID-19 or traveled to countries affected by the outbreak.
Those countries are China, Japan, Italy, Iran, Hong Kong and South Korea.
Symptoms of the respiratory illness include fever, cough and shortness of breath.
On Wednesday, March 4, the CDC lifted those restrictions — allowing anyone who has symptoms to be tested if their doctor OKs it, according to the New York Times.
That could allow many more people to be tested, but there are questions about whether there are enough test kits and whether private labs and hospitals just gearing up to do the testing could handle the initial surge, according to the Times and CNN.
“The majority of people don’t need to be tested. Most people with COVID-19 will have mild symptoms that will resolve without the need for testing or treatment,” the Whatcom County Health Department said in a release.
While the Washington State Public Health Laboratory and the University of Washington can test for the illness, their capacity to do so remains limited for now, Whatcom officials said.
So far, four people have been tested in Whatcom County.
One person was tested in Whatcom County in January, and that test was negative.
Coronavirus is spread through contact between people within 6 feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.
The CDC 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 80% of the cases have been mild, the disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
So far, more than 95,000 cases have been reported worldwide, with about 3,200 deaths, the vast majority of them in China. In the U.S., 148 cases have been reported, including 10 deaths in Washington state out of 39 reported cases.
The Washington state cases and deaths were in King and Snohomish counties.
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 4, 2020 at 9:50 AM.
