Whatcom County health reports Sunday 16 residents are being tested for coronavirus
Whatcom County continues to have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of noon Sunday, March 8, according to the Whatcom County Heath Department website.
The department reports there are 16 tests for novel coronavirus with results pending and three tests returned with negative results.
Twelve people in Whatcom County were being tested as of Saturday, March 7, up from 10 on Friday, March 6.
More than 107,000 cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 3,600 deaths as of March 8, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 435 confirmed cases with 19 deaths — 18 in Washington state.
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 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.
Reducing activities
“Mandatory measures” to reduce public activities may be required to fight the spread of coronavirus, Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington said, according to a McClatchy story.
“So far, the public is responding very well by making sure that they listen to public health requests,” Inslee said in an interview with Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation” Sunday on CBS.
“People are now staying home when they’re sick,” Inslee said, according to a transcript of the interview provided by CBS. “They have telecommuted and teleworked very, very effectively. And so that’s working. But we may have to go to the next step.”
Disease reporting
The Washington State Department of Health is changing how it reports COVID-19 cases, it announced in a press release Saturday.
“As new counties get cases of COVID-19 and more labs begin testing for the virus, the epidemiologists who track statewide data are gathering and analyzing information from many sources. They must work closely with local health departments and labs to make sure statewide data is accurate and complete,” the release stated.
The state said it plans to release information reported through midnight the previous day at 2 p.m. daily. The information it will release is cases and deaths by county, cases by age range, cases by gender at birth, total number of patients tested.
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
This story was originally published March 8, 2020 at 12:14 PM.
