News & Information
COVID-19 Testing Results Update for Kitsap County as of 2 p.m. Aug. 26
* DATA UPDATE: Due to technical issues, the state Department of Health (DOH) is currently not able to provide an update on total negative COVID-19 test results. On Aug. 26, DOH provided the average number of tests per day in Kitsap County for the past seven days and the percent of tests that were positive. Kitsap Public Health added these numbers to its daily surveillance report.
Kitsap Public Health announces additional actions in response to St. Michael COVID-19 outbreak
Today, Kitsap Public Health District announced additional actions to control a COVID-19 outbreak at St. Michael’s Medical Center. The announcement contains more details as well as links to further information.
Emergency Operations Center coordinates comprehensive COVID-19 testing of St. Michael employees
Responding to a request from St. Michael Medical Center (SMMC), the Kitsap County’s Emergency Operations Center (KCEOC) Congregate Setting Outbreak Response Team, in coordination with the Kitsap Public Health District, is working to provide baseline COVID-19 testing of all 2,500 of the medical center's employees as rapidly as possible. Follow-up testing is also planned.
"We are working, together with our wonderful volunteers, health, and emergency management partners to support St. Michael in their efforts to contain this outbreak," said Elizabeth Klute, KCEOC Director.
KCEOC staff members are coordinating volunteers from Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management, Empact Northwest and Bainbridge Island’s Medical Reserve Corps. Yesterday, volunteers helped to administer 867 tests to SMMC employees and testing will continue through the week. More than 50 staff and volunteers have been involved in planning and executing this testing effort.
COVID-19 testing still advised for people with symptoms and close contacts of confirmed cases
The Washington State Department of Health’s (DOH) guidance around testing has not changed: if you have symptoms, you need to get tested. See the DOH news release for more details.
If you’re a close contact of a confirmed case, you need to get tested. Close contacts of confirmed cases also need to stay at home away from others (quarantine) for 14 days after the last exposure even if they test negative for COVID-19, because it is possible for people who test negative to still be incubating the virus, and become contagious later.
DOH has established a call center to address questions from the public. If you have questions about what is happening in Washington state regarding COVID-19, please call 1-800-525-0127 and press #. You may also call 211 for more resources.
The Kitsap Public Health District has a list of COVID-19 test providers in Kitsap County.
A COVID-19 survivor's tale
Charlotte* doesn’t remember much of March. She doesn’t even remember getting the positive COVID-19 test. She remembers thinking maybe she was having allergies in the beginning of March, but by the end of that week she “got really sick really fast.”
When Charlotte started having trouble breathing, she was taken by ambulance to Swedish Hospital and put in isolation. When she arrived at the hospital, her breathing was so bad that she couldn’t even blow out a candle.
Charlotte lives in King County. She’s in her early 40s and has no underlying health conditions. Since she wasn’t considered to be at high risk for getting seriously ill with COVID-19, she wasn’t too concerned about getting it. That all changed quickly.
Shortly after Charlotte got sick, her husband and both her kids also got COVID-19. Like most people, her husband and kids had mild illness and recovered just fine in about two weeks. Mild illness can be pretty miserable though. Charlotte’s husband had a high fever and severe body aches which had him in bed for almost a week.
Charlotte’s experience with COVID-19 has changed her perspective on life: “We just don’t know what life has to bring and I want to live life to the fullest while I can.” Read more of her story in this blog post from the Washington State Department of Health.
* Name changed to maintain confidentiality.
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