Whatcom County health reports Monday that 17 residents are being tested for coronavirus
Whatcom County continues to have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of noon Monday, according to the Whatcom County Heath Department website.
The department reports there are 17 tests for novel coronavirus with results pending and five tests returned with negative results.
That’s up from the 16 people in Whatcom County who were being tested as of Sunday, March 8.
The number of people being tested as of Saturday, March 7, was 12.
Those being tested have symptoms and are in isolation pending their test results.
More than 113,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 3,900 deaths as of Monday afternoon, March 9, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 600 confirmed cases with at least 22 deaths.
The Washington State Department of Health website reported 21 deaths and 162 confirmed cases in the state at 2 p.m. Monday, March 9. Twenty people have died of COVID-19 in King County and 1 in Snohomish County. Confirmed cases have been found in Clark, Grant, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Pierce, Snohomish and Spokane counties.
Family Care Network caution
Family Care Network is telling patients to call ahead to its clinics and urgent care if they have flu-like or respiratory symptoms.
Those who have a fever, cough or suspected exposure to COVID-19 are being asked to not immediately enter the waiting room but to instead call to let staff know they have arrived and then wait in their vehicles, where they may be screened by the organization’s triage staff for more information on their condition.
Patients may then be escorted through a clinic via an alternate entrance.
”You may see more staff in personal protective gear (face masks, gowns). Please do not be alarmed. This is done as a precaution to protect patients and staff, so we can continue to safely see patients in our clinics for other health concerns,” Family Care Network stated in an alert on its website.
Family Care Network has 15 locations in Whatcom and Skagit counties.
Ericksen precaution
State Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, announced Monday, March 9, that he will not receive guests in his office in Olympia during the waning days of this year’s legislative session to protect against the spread of COVID-19.
Constituents should email or call instead, Ericksen said.
“We regret having to take this step, but this is a time for caution,” Ericksen said in a statement. “By limiting face-to-face contact we can reduce the chance of inadvertent transmission. As we work through this problem, we must recognize public health is everyone’s concern, and each of us must do our part.”
Hand-sanitizer theft
Western Washington University said Monday, March 9, that hand sanitizer was stolen from dispensers in a number of buildings on campus over the weekend.
“Replacements were already on order, but we do not have stock on hand now to refill them. We will continue to monitor dispensers, and refill them as quickly as we can,” Western said in its Monday briefing. In the meantime, hand-washing remains an excellent prevention method.”
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 — cough, fever, difficulty breathing — may occur two days to two weeks after exposure. Although most of the cases have been mild, the disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
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 9, 2020 at 12:07 PM.
