By Rolf Boone
The Olympian
Lewis County now has 10 confirmed cases of COVID-19 after public health officials announced three more cases late Monday.
The three new cases are residents in their 50s and 60s.
Lewis County Public Health and Social Services is releasing only limited information about those who test positive for the virus, saying it is not authorized to release more information because of state and federal laws, according to a news release.
In Thurston County, Public Health and Social Services on Tuesday announced five new confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus.
The county total as of 3 p.m. was 48, with no deaths.
The 48 confirmed cases are split almost evenly between genders: 23 men and 25 women. Statewide, 51% of confirmed cases have occurred in women, 45% in men, and 4% in people of unknown gender, according to the state Department of Health.
Three of the patients in Thurston are in their 20s, five are in their 30s, 12 are in their 40s, nine are in their 50s, 16 are in their 60s, one is in his 70s, and two are in their 80s.
Public health officials continue to warn that people who are older or who have underlying health conditions are at higher risk for complications from COVID-19.
Out of the first 43 patients with confirmed COVID-19 in Thurston County, 18 percent have been hospitalized, Schelli Slaughter, director of county Public Health and Social Services, told county commissioners Tuesday, before the latest five cases were announced.
The majority of the patients are self-isolating at home and recovering, Slaughter said.
Out of the 48 current confirmed Thurston County cases, 34 have been announced in the last week.
The recent increase in positive test results isn’t surprising to local health officials, who point to increased testing capabilities and the lag time between the actual testing and results. More restrictive policies, such as Gov. Jay Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” mandate, have been enforced since these test samples were collected, officials say.
“I expect we will see more cases in the next 10 days but then should see the number of new cases declining because most people in our community are following the restrictions in the mandate,” Interim Thurston County Health Officer Dr. Diana Yu wrote in a letter to the community the county released Tuesday.
The county is seeing evidence the restrictions are working: Cases it is investigating now have had close contact with one or two people, Yu wrote in a prepared statement emailed to The Olympian. Previously, the county found people with confirmed cases had close contact with eight to 10 people.
“Folks, the pandemic is here,” Yu wrote in her letter to the community Tuesday. “This is not a practice drill. This is the real thing. Please stay home, stay safe, and stay healthy.”
As of March 28, Washington state had more than 4,800 cases and nearly 200 deaths, 144 of which occurred in King County. More than 65,000 people have been tested for the disease, according to the state Department of Health.
Nationwide, the U.S. has confirmed more than 186,000 cases. New York City has been hit particularly hard with 932 deaths.
More than 855,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide. The U.S. leads the world in confirmed cases, followed by Italy and Spain, then China. More than 12,400 people have died in Italy, Johns Hopkins University data show.
LIMIT THE SPREAD
• Stay home.
• If you have to go out in the community, keep a distance of 6 feet or more between you and other people.
• If you work, work from home if you can.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• Wash your hands with soap and water, often.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your mouth/nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing.
• If you are sick, stay home and avoid close contact with others.
