Third Confirmed Positive COVID-19 Case in County, First on Lopez Island
Posted March 26, 2020 at 5:45 pm by Peggy Sue McRae
Thursday March 26, 2020 – The third confirmed positive COVID-19 test result in San Juan County was reported to San Juan County public health staff today. This result is the first confirmed positive case on Lopez Island.
As with previous positive results, public health staff have conducted contact tracing to identify close contacts of the patient and instruct them to quarantine for 14 days and monitor for symptoms. The patient is not currently hospitalized and will be isolated at home.
San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James highlights the seriousness of this situation, “This illness spreads easily, and we need to do everything we can to keep it from getting established in our community. We need to assume that there are infected patients on all of the islands and we each need to do our part to minimize social contact and maximize distancing.”
Added Dr. James, “The Governor’s order limiting non-essential travel and the County Health Officer order restricting non-essential lodging are critical tools in this fight. I truly appreciate the sacrifices the islands are making.”
San Juan County health officials remind everyone that if you feel sick and have mild symptoms, stay home. If you feel you have more serious symptoms or if you are at risk for severe illness, stay home and call your health provider. Do not report to a clinic or to the hospital. Follow your doctor or health provider’s direction. If you feel the situation is urgent and life threatening, call 911.
For more information, please visit our informational webpage at www.sjccovid.com. You can also visit the San Juan County Health and Community Services Facebook page. The San Juan County COVID-19 Hotline (360-370-7500) is staffed M-F 8:30am to 4:30pm, and the State of WA Hotline (800-525-0127) is staffed from 6:00am to 10:00pm, 7 days a week.
For more information about contact tracing in San Juan County, see this recent article: https://www.sanjuanco.com/DocumentCenter/View/20055/Hot-Topic-7-Contact-Tracing
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Categories: Community, Health & Wellness
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