Thurston Board of Health appoints Dr. Diana Yu to focus on local coronavirus response

Dr. Diana Yu will temporarily return to the role of Thurston County Health Officer, which she held for 23 years, to focus on the local response to COVID-19, the illness caused by a novel coronavirus.

Tuesday, Thurston County Board of Health voted unanimously to approve a resolution appointing Yu, who retired from the position in 2013.

The county’s previous health officer, Dr. Rachel Wood, left her post in November and the county launched a nationwide search for someone to fill the position. In the meantime, State Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy and Dr. Scott Lindquist, State Epidemiologist for Communicable Diseases, have been supporting Thurston County.

“These are the state health officers, and they have very kindly and graciously been acting as Thurston County’s health officers for communicable disease matters, including the response to COVID-19,” Schelli Slaughter, Director of Thurston County Public Health and Social Services, said at the Board of Health meeting Tuesday.

When they agreed to take on that role, Slaughter said, COVID-19 wasn’t a concern. Now, it’s time to give them some relief.

As of Wednesday morning, the total count of confirmed positive cases reported by the state Department of Health had reached 267, with 24 fatalities. No cases originating in Thurston County had been confirmed positive as of Wednesday morning, but nearby counties have seen cases and county officials expect to start seeing them here as testing capacity in the state expands.

Slaughter said she expects to have a permanent officer hired soon, but that Yu will serve in a temporary capacity until then.