No confirmed Tri-Cities coronavirus case. Testing bottleneck continues

The Tri-Cities has no confirmed case of novel coronavirus but there have been troubles meeting all the testing demands, says the Benton-Franklin Health District.

The district held a Friday morning news conference in Kennewick.

Officials say there is a shortage of the specialized collection supplies to collect samples to test for the coronavirus, and they are waiting for the issue to be resolved and more collection supplies to be available in the Tri-Cities.

As a result, testing is being limited to those who are ill and also are at high risk of a serious illness from the coronavirus or are health care providers.

Dr. Amy Person, the health district’s health officer, said the district realizes people are frustrated that they are having trouble getting tested as quickly as they would like.

Testing was only briefly widely available when testing restrictions eased and more laboratories began performing the tests, before the supplies available for testing were quickly overwhelmed by demand, she said.

Initially, testing was only done in negative-pressure rooms, such as hospitals have, as a precaution to contain the spread of the coronavirus, but that is no longer considered necessary.

Tri-Citians still must go through their health care provider to request a test.

The health district on Friday began posting results of tests reported to them at bfhd.wa.gov, and so far has only negative results, indicating that those patients did not COVID-19.

Event recommendations

Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday announced he was restricting all social gatherings of more than 250 people to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The local health district said that in addition, events of any size for seniors or other vulnerable populations, such as those with chronic health conditions, should be canceled.

Senior citizens and those with other health conditions, such as lung or heart disease, are among the most vulnerable to becoming seriously ill with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Person said children usually have less serious cases of COVID-19, but they are of concern because they may lack the good hygiene habits of adults that help prevent the spread of the virus.

On Friday Gov. Inslee ordered all schools across the state to close for the next six weeks.

Pregnant women also are considered a high risk group as a precaution, Person said. Although there is no evidence yet that they are at higher risk than others, too little is understood about the new coronavirus to know if there might be implications for the mother or fetus later in the pregnancy.

The health district is monitoring schools for absences and talking with health care providers and hospitals to watch for an increase in respiratory illnesses, which could indicate the virus is spreading in the Tri-Cities.

Steps to slow spread

With no vaccine available for the novel coronavirus, the health district is working to slow the spread and reduce the rate of cases to make sure a sudden surge in cases does not overwhelm hospitals’ abilities to care for the sickest patients.

The district is depending on the community to help by following guidelines such a frequent and thorough hand washing. People should not touch their face, especially if they have been in a public place like a store and have not had a chance to wash their hands yet.

“This is a respiratory illness and is frequently spread into our system by our hands and the things we touch,” said Rick Dawson, a health district senior manager.

High contact surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected frequently.

The majority of people infected with COVID-19 do not experience severe symptoms. They should manage their illness at home as they would a cold with over-the-counter medications, Dawson said.

There is no treatment for COVID-19 beyond addressing symptoms.

In the coming weeks the health district may take additional action, such as closing events and facilities and restricting activities as the disease spreads in the Tri-Cities area, Dawson said.

The Benton County Fairgrounds is accepting no more bookings for events until June, said Benton County Commissioner Jerome Delvin.

Any events there planned for more than 250 people will have to be canceled, but individuals who have already booked the event for smaller gatherings, including weddings, will be allowed to make their own decisions about whether to hold their event. If they cancel, they may receive a refund.

Benton County also is refusing to accept most prisoners from Western Washington at its jail, he said.

Among events that have been canceled because of COVID-19 is the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival planned for March 20-22, with guided field trips to see sandhill cranes and other outdoor attractions and a day of lectures and activities.

Full refunds will be issued, although some people have offered to donate their ticket purchase to help offset the debt incurred preparing for the festival.

A full list of area closures is available at tricityherald.com.

Tri-Cities precautions

On Friday, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory announced that a staff member who was experiencing some respiratory problems is undergoing testing for COVID-19.

“The test results will not be available until next week, but as a precaution we are initiating deep cleaning at the building where this staff member worked. The staff member is receiving treatment and doing well, resting at home,” said the lab in a statement.

PNNL employs about 4,000 people in the Tri-Cities.

Also in Richland, an advisory was sent to employees of Hanford nuclear reservation contractor Mission Support Alliance about its building at 3170 George Washington Way.

The message said a Hanford employee was undergoing testing and access to the building is being restricted as a precaution while it was being disinfected.

After talking with county health officials, they decided that employees don’t need to take any action, but should monitor themselves for any symptoms of the virus.

Statewide cases

The cases statewide on Thursday totaled 457, after a jump in Snohomish County and in King County.

In all, 31 deaths statewide were attributed to the illness — all but four in King County and the majority in the Life Care Center of Kirkland.

In Eastern Washington, three new cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in Yakima and Columbia counties and two others in Grant and Kittitas counties.

Organizations in the Tri-Cities area have been canceling events, schools are changing policies and some local government agencies closed their offices, saying they want to protect staff and customers.

Virus symptoms

Coronavirus is spread through contact between people within six feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land on people nearby or on surfaces that people then touch, infecting themselves.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, which may occur two days to two weeks after exposure.

The disease is especially dangerous for the elderly, pregnant women and people with other health conditions, such as weakened immune systems, heart disease, lung disease or diabetes.

Tips to stay healthy

Public health officials continue to have the same guidance as they did before this first case was confirmed.

People who have symptoms of the illness should stay home, self-isolate and call their health care provider.

Steps to prevent the spread of the illness include:

• Washing your hands often
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoiding contact with people who are sick
• Staying at home while sick
• Sanitizing surfaces
• Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing.

This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 12:01 PM.