Olympic Times

Port Townsend issued the following announcement on Dec. 23.

The five newest confirmed COVID-19 cases here are attributed either to travel or exposure to a confirmed case, according to Jefferson County Public Health. Ten new cases have been listed in four days this week for a new total of 212.

No new confirmed cases were added Dec. 22, two were added on Dec. 23 and three were added Dec. 24 for a new total of 212 confirmed to-date in the pandemic. Ten cases were added Dec. 21-24; there won’t be a JCPH report on Dec. 25 due to the holiday so the next update should be Monday, Dec. 28.

The two cases from Dec. 23 are a male (under age 19) from Mid County and a female (40-49) from South County. One was exposed to a family member already registered as a confirmed case. One case may have been exposed by contact with a family member visiting from out of state, according to JCPH.

The three cases added Dec. 24 are a female (under 19) from Mid County, a male (20-29_ from South County and a male (40-49) from Mid County. These cases were all exposed to a case from out of state, or traveled out of state, according to JCPH.

Jefferson County Public Health Officer Dr. Tom Locke on Dec. 21 repeated his message of “extreme caution” in celebrating the Christmas holiday season because “we have not seen the worst of this pandemic yet. The next three months are going to be the roughest.”

NEW CONFIRMED CASES

Of the 212 confirmed positive cases of Jefferson County residents during the coronavirus pandemic, 164 are recovered, according to JCPH. The Washington Department of Health considers a patient “recovered” at 28 days from the onset of symptoms if they are alive and not hospitalized.

There are 12 active cases in isolation (two more than on Dec. 21). Isolation is intended to keep someone who is infected with the virus away from others, even in their home. Quarantine aims to keep someone who might have been exposed to the virus away from others.

There has been one death here attributed to COVID. JCPH lists 17 Jefferson County residents have been hospitalized for COVID, to date.

Of the confirmed cases, 107 are female and 105 are male: 83 are age 60 or older and 129 are 59 or younger. Jefferson County is the eldest county in Washington State, per-capita population, with a median (half older, half younger) age of 57.

WASHINGTON STATE

Statewide, the Washington Department of Health as of Dec. 23 lists 224,399 confirmed cases statewide, 8,694 probable cases, 13,908 hospitalizations and 3,184 deaths attributed directly to COVID-19.

DOH reported 22 new deaths as of Dec. 23. DOH data updated Dec. 23 indicates 1.4% of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in Washington State have died.

NATIONAL PICTURE

As of Dec. 23, the Centers for Disease Control reported that 1 million Americans had received their first dose of a two-dose coronavirus vaccine.

More than 117,000 people were hospitalized in the U.S. with COVID-19 on Tuesday, Dec. 22, the highest recorded number since the start of the pandemic. The U.S. also reported over 195,000 new cases Dec. 22, forming a seven-day average of 215,000 new cases per day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.

As of Dec. 24, there are 328,760 American deaths attributed to COVID-19, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University & Medicine, and 1,740,255 global deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control counts 325,096 deaths in the U.S.

VACCINE IN JEFFERSON COUNTY

Jefferson County Public Health Officer Dr. Tom Locke reported that 975 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were received at Jefferson Healthcare in Port Townsend om Dec. 15 and inoculations began Dec. 16. It’s a two-dose vaccine, with shots 21 days apart. The vaccination priority is based on protocols set by the Washington Department of Health.

Jefferson Healthcare reported that there is NO waiting list for the vaccination program.

As of Monday morning, Dec. 21, Jefferson Healthcare had administered 467 doses of the 975 received and are scheduling more appointments, Locke said. The “first wave” of vaccines is for front-line healthcare workers, emergency responders and staff and residents of long-term care facilities. Locke said the Moderna vaccine, with a shipment expect4ed later this week, will be used for the long-term care facilities because it is much easier to handle than the Pfizer-BioNTech which requires ultra cold storage.

Locke said that by the end of February 2021 there should be enough supply of the two vaccines to cover people in groups 1a, 1b and 1c.

Vaccinations are voluntary, Locke noted, and he assumes that 70-75% of the people in each targeted group will agree.

FEELS LIKE FLU? GET TESTED FOR COVID

People experiencing any respiratory illness such as fever with cough, sore throat or nasal congestion, should be tested for COVID-19. There are three main symptoms of coronavirus. If you get just one of them, you should schedule a test for COVID-19:

--New and continuous cough - coughing a lot for more than an hour, or having three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours;

--Fever: a temperature at or above 100.4F or 37.8C;

--Change in smell or taste - either you cannot taste or smell anything, or these senses are different than normal. 

Original source can be found here.

Source: Port Townsend