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Posted on: July 24, 2020

COVID-19 Activity and Testing Updates for Snohomish County

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
July 24, 2020 

CONTACT: 
Heather Thomas, 425.508.4980
hthomas@snohd.org

COVID-19 Activity and Testing Updates for Snohomish County 


SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. – The Snohomish Health District was able to successfully create more capacity at its drive-thru testing site this week, seeing 250-300 people daily. The Health District will continue drive-thru testing at McCollum Park located at 600 128th St SE in Everett.

For the week of July 27 the schedule is as follows:

  • Monday, July 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Tuesday, July 28 from noon to 7 p.m.
  • Wednesday, July 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Thursday, July 30 from noon to 7 p.m.
  • Friday, July 31 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Testing will be available to those who are:

  • Sick and have developed any of the following symptoms within the last 14 days:
    • Fever,
    • Chills,
    • Cough,
    • Difficulty breathing,
    • Fatigue,
    • Muscle pain or body aches,
    • Headache,
    • Sore throat,
    • Runny nose or nasal congestion, or
    • New loss of taste or smell.
  • Asymptomatic individuals who:
    • Are a close contact of a confirmed case, or
    • Live in a congregate setting, like a shelter, group home or assisted living facility, or
    • Work in a location that has had a case,
    • Part of a family or social network that has had a case, or
    • Work in healthcare, EMS, law enforcement or other fields where work settings have a higher risk of catching or spreading COVID-19, or
    • Are part of a racial or ethnic group that has been disproportionately impacted by this virus in terms of rate or severity of cases (this includes people who are Black, Latinx, Native American/Alaskan Native, or Pacific Islander).

Registration is now open at www.snohd.org/drive-thru-testing.

Data Updates and COVID Activity Snapshot

The Health District is still providing updates Monday-Friday of total confirmed, total probable, and a breakdown of cases by city. A weekly report is now being posted on Fridays, providing a more detailed analysis of cases in Snohomish County from the prior week.

The report for the week ending July 18 has been posted, as well as the updated COVID activity snapshot that provides metrics aligned with the Phase 2 approval. Key highlights for the time period from July 2 – July 16 include:

  • A case rate of 79.8 per 100,000 in a 14-day period, up from 62.1 per 100,000 from June 25 – July 9.
  • Younger individuals continue to be a concern, with approximately 1 out of 4 new cases being 20-29 years old. There was also a 59% increase in cases over the 2-week period for those 15-19 years of age (80 new cases).
  • Outbreaks during that 2-week period involved 13 separate locations associated with 45 confirmed cases.

There have been some questions received on why these updates do not match information on the Phases and Risk Assessment Dashboard provided by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). The data online change every day when new cases get reported. This is because the newly reported cases on any given day have a variety of different specimen collection dates. DOH’s dashboard is updated frequently, whereas the Health District’s report is a weekly snapshot. Overall, these are negligible, technical differences that do not affect the information and general impression provided by the data.

New Restrictions and Guidelines

On Thursday, Governor Jay Inslee and Secretary of Health John Wiesman announced changes to “Safe Start,” Washington’s phased approach to reopening. The changes target activities that data have shown provide a higher risk of COVID-19 exposure.

To combat the rising numbers, the governor and secretary are changing guidance and regulations around restaurants, bars, and fitness centers, as well as weddings and funerals. The changes will also affect family entertainment centers, movie theaters and card rooms.

In addition to those changes, Sec. Wiesman announced an expansion of his face coverings order that will go into effect Saturday, July 25. The expansion will require face coverings in all common spaces, such as elevators, hallways and shared spaces in apartment buildings, university housing and hotels, as well as congregate setting such as nursing homes.

“With the current level and trajectory of transmission in Snohomish County, it is important to take action to stop the spread,” said Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer for the Health District. “We support Secretary Wiesman’s actions and continue to urge people to regularly wear a face covering when out of the home and limit gatherings to five or fewer people.” 

It is also important to maintain 6’ of distance from non-household members, wash or sanitize hands frequently, and stay home and arrange to get tested if COVID-like symptoms develop. 

Read the rest of the story on the governor’s Medium page.

The community is encouraged to help prevent the spread of illness and to support the response to this outbreak by staying informed and sharing reliable information. This is a very fluid situation and information will be updated at www.snohd.org/ncov2019 and the Health District’s social media channels.

 ##END##


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