2 new COVID-19 cases in Thurston, but 45 of 74 patients have recovered, officials say
Thurston County Public Health announced on Tuesday two new confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus.
The newest cases are a woman in her 20s and one in her 30s. That brings the total cases here to 74 with one death.
While the number of confirmed cases grows daily, officials also had good news to share Tuesday.
Of the first 72 reported cases, 45 have recovered and have been released from isolation, Interim Health Officer Dr. Diana Yu wrote in a letter to the community Tuesday. Twelve have been hospitalized, she wrote, with some hospitalized outside the county, and many of them have recovered and been discharged.
The county has consistently shared the gender and age range of each new confirmed case, but has not shared information sometimes provided by other counties, such as the general area where people with confirmed cases live.
At Tuesday’s Board of County Commissioners work session, Schelli Slaughter, director of Thurston County Public Health and Social Services, shed a bit of light on the location of cases, saying no place in Thurston County has been spared.
“At this point in Thurston County, every single city, town, commissioner’s district in Thurston County has confirmed cases,” Slaughter said. “So we have widespread cases of COVID-19 in Thurston County.”
She also shared that the Thurston County resident who died from complications related to COVID-19, a man in his 80s, had underlying health conditions. That information was not previously released, Slaughter said, because the county did not initially have access to the man’s full medical record.
At the Tuesday meeting, commissioners urged the Public Health department to start releasing more information on COVID-19 cases on a regular basis, such as general locations, how many individuals are using ventilators, how many have fully recovered without going to the hospital, and what pre-existing conditions they have.
On the issue of pre-existing conditions, Slaughter said the department “can’t share individual health information with the public” due to federal and state privacy laws protecting that sort of information.
Commissioner Gary Edwards argued that the Board of Health needs more information to make policy decisions. Commissioner John Hutchings, who serves as chair of the Board of Commissioners, also voiced a need for more information while staying within the bounds of privacy laws.
“I want to challenge that,” Edwards said of the interpretation of privacy laws. “If we need to, get a legal opinion on it. ... I do not believe that’s a HIPAA violation, because we are not asking for specific location or the person’s name. I think that is a bureaucratic B.S. answer that we can’t have that information as the Board of Health, and we’re expected to make decisions for this community. I’m not buying that.”
County legal staff is looking at restrictions and what information can be shared with the Board of Health, County Manager Ramiro Chavez said at the meeting. It’s not clear whether any changes would impact what information is immediately shared with the public.
“I hear your frustration, I understand the Board of Health would like more information from us, and I will work with legal counsel as well as Dr. Yu to try to address some of those concerns for you,” Slaughter said at the work session.
Across the state, nation, & world
Mason County Public Health announced one new confirmed positive case Tuesday, bringing its total to 17. None of the cases are hospitalized in Mason County, but one is hospitalized outside Mason County, according to the department.
King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties continue to be the hardest hit in the state, though case counts in counties across the state are rising. King County has recorded 3,460 confirmed cases and 226 deaths.
As of Tuesday, there were 8,682 confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide, according to Washington State Department of Health data. More than 390 people had died due to COVID-19.
The U.S. had more than 396,000 confirmed positive cases as of Tuesday afternoon and 20,395 people have recovered nationwide, Johns Hopkins University data shows. New York City continues to be a hotspot and has seen more than 4,000 deaths.
HOW TO LIMIT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19
▪ 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.
Source: Thurston County Public Health and Social Services.
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 5:01 PM.
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