San Juan Island has Eight New COVID Cases, Mostly from High School Sports Breakout

Contributed Image/CDC

From San Juan County

Since the last update on Friday, April 9, total cases in San Juan County have increased from 154 to 166.

There are 40 close contacts of positive cases currently in active quarantine.

San Juan Island
There are eight new cases since the last report on San Juan Island.

One of these positive cases is an individual with a San Juan County address, but who has not been in the islands for some time.  

Four of these new cases are close household contacts of previously reported positive cases tied to the Friday Harbor High School baseball team outbreak.

While many of the initial positive cases had ties to the Friday Harbor high school baseball team, most of the transmission appears to have happened during interactions that had no direct involvement with school, athletics or the sport of baseball.

One of these new cases is a close household contact of a previously reported positive case.

Two of these new cases are close social contacts of previously reported positive cases tied to the Friday Harbor High School baseball team outbreak.  

There are 12 positive cases under active monitoring on San Juan Island at this time.

Shaw Island
There is one new case on Shaw Island. This new case is a close household contact of a previously reported positive case tied to the Friday Harbor High School baseball team outbreak.

There is one confirmed positive case under active monitoring on Shaw Island at this time.

Orcas Island
There are no new cases on Orcas Island since the last update, and no confirmed positive cases under active monitoring on Orcas Island at this time.

Lopez Island
There are three new cases on Lopez Island since the last update. All three of the new cases are from a single household. The initial transmission source is related to off-island travel.

There are three confirmed positive cases under active monitoring on Lopez Island at this time.

Overall
In order to share information with the community that helps convey the current situation, sometimes it is necessary to lump cases together with a similar name or description. We’re doing that here with the “baseball team” outbreak to communicate the way in which disease can spread quickly through the community. 

While many of the initial positive cases had ties to the Friday Harbor high school baseball team, most of the transmission appears to have happened during interactions that had no direct involvement with school, athletics or the sport of baseball.

While it may be tempting to cast judgment on those who have been impacted by COVID, that’s not the way we do things in the islands, and that’s not the way to get through this crisis with our humanity intact.  Other than those fortunate islanders who have the resources and ability to keep themselves totally sequestered, we all are at some risk of becoming infected and unwittingly spreading the disease. Compassion and empathy go a long way.

Cases are rising. Our best way to stop spread in the islands is by as many islanders as possible getting vaccinated. We owe it to ourselves and our community.

When you’re vaccinated, you’re slowing community spread. You’re protecting yourself and those around you. You’re keeping yourself from having to quarantine if exposed. And you’re enabling yourself to safely interact with other vaccinated individuals with no limitations at all.

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