As of Saturday, 12 Whatcom County residents are being tested for coronavirus
Whatcom County continues to have no cases of COVID-19 as of noon Saturday, March 7.
The Whatcom County Heath Department website shows there are 12 tests for novel coronavirus with results pending and three tests returned with negative results. One person remains under public health supervision.
Ten people from Whatcom County were being tested as of Friday.
People under public health supervision don’t have symptoms but are being asked to monitor their health because they were in close contact with someone known to have COVID-19 or because they traveled from affected geographic areas, or hot spots.
They are told to monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days from the time of their exposure and to report to the health department if they develop symptoms of fever, cough or difficulty breathing, according to Melissa Morin, spokeswoman for the Whatcom County Health Department.
“They are not required to stay at home but they are instructed to limit their time in public,” Morin said to The Bellingham Herald.
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 6 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 84% of the cases have been mild, the disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
The Washington state Department of Health’s official tally rose to 16 deaths and 102 confirmed coronavirus cases as of 11 a.m. Saturday. King, Snohomish, Grant and Jefferson counties all have reported cases in addition to Pierce and Clark.
Health officials announced the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Pierce County Friday evening. Dr. Anthony Chen, director of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, said the patient is a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions. He is at St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor receiving treatment.
Another confirmed case was reported by public health officials in Clark County late Friday. The patient is being treated in isolation at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver.
The state Department of Social and Health Services will begin screening all visitors to its 24/7 facilities for the signs of COVID-19, the agency announced Friday.
The screening will be conducted at all DSHS facilities which operate 24 hours per day. Those include Western State Hospital and Rainier School.
Screenings will include questions about fever, cough, shortness of breath, contacts with people diagnosed with COVID-19 or if they have traveled internationally within the past two weeks. They will also have their temperature taken. If they have a fever or answer yes to any of the screening questions, they will not be allowed to enter.
Stay informed
▪ https://whatcomcounty.us/ncov. Email general questions about COVID-19 in Whatcom County to covid@co.whatcom.wa.us.
▪ 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.
▪ cob.org/services/safety/emergencies/Pages/covid-19.aspx
Tacoma News Tribune reporter Craig Sailor contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 7, 2020 at 12:36 PM.
