Whatcom Health reports Saturday that 95 tests have come back negative for COVID-19
The number of people in Whatcom County who tested negative for COVID-19 has grown to 95 as of noon Saturday, March 14, according to the Whatcom County Health Department.
That was up from the 35 reported on Friday, March 13, by the county health department.
The Student Health Center at Western Washington University also is testing for the virus that causes the respiratory illness, reporting that 10 results have come back negative as of Saturday morning.
The number of Whatcom County residents who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus remains at two so far. Both cases were reported earlier this week.
More than 153,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 5,700 deaths as of Saturday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 2,500 confirmed cases, with at least 51 deaths.
The Washington State Department of Health reported 37 deaths and 568 confirmed cases in the state as of Friday afternoon.
At least 32 people have died of COVID-19 in King County, four in Snohomish County, and one in Grant County. So far, confirmed cases have been found in 15 counties — Clark, Columbia, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston Whatcom and Yakima. The list also includes cases that are unassigned to counties.
About coronavirus
COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019, is the name of the illness 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 contagious disease is spread through contact between people within six 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 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 — 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 for questions about what is happening in Washington state, how the virus spreads, and what to do if you have symptoms. Phone lines are staffed 6 a.m. to 10 p.m, seven days a week.
▪ cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
▪ cob.org/services/safety/emergencies/Pages/covid-19.aspx
▪ https://www.lummi-nsn.gov/Website.php?PageID=215
