Kitsap County Washington sent this bulletin at 09/18/2020 03:48 PM PDT
Sept. 18, 2020
Have COVID-19 symptoms? Get tested now!
Public health officials urge Kitsap residents to get tested as quickly as possible if they have any COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild.
KITSAP COUNTY, WA — Kitsap Public Health District epidemiologists have noted a concerning gap between the time people start feeling sick with COVID-19 symptoms and the time they get tested.
It has taken an average of 3.4 days for positive cases in Kitsap County to get tested for COVID-19 after they first begin experiencing symptoms. This delay increases the potential for people to spread the virus to others. People who know they have COVID-19 are more likely to isolate themselves than those who aren’t sure.
It has taken positive cases an average of 3.4 days to be tested after first experiencing symptoms. This delays Kitsap Public Health's ability to initiate case investigations and contact tracing, increasing the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the community.
To reduce this testing delay, Kitsap Public Health is:
Urging community members to seek testing immediately if they experience any COVID-19 symptoms, even if their illness is mild.
Working with the Kitsap County Emergency Operations center to develop a community-based testing site to expand testing options for Kitsap residents.
"We have an opportunity to identify the cases that are present in our community and further control the spread of the virus. But to be successful, we need to make sure people who feel sick are getting tested right away. That way we can quickly identify and get in touch with their close contacts and stop the disease from spreading" Kitsap Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Gib Morrow said.
"We urge community members to seek COVID-19 testing as soon as they start to feel sick and stay home until they get results. We also ask that health care providers do everything they can to get people tested quickly. Kitsap Public Health is working with the Kitsap County Emergency Operations Center to expand options for low-barrier testing in our county, but it will take a community effort to ensure COVID-19 cases are identified rapidly."
Kitsap Public Health is working with the Kitsap County Emergency Operations Center to establish a new community-based testing site, with the goal of increasing access to low-barrier COVID-19 testing for Kitsap residents.
The site is expected to be open by the end of October. Officials hope to offer testing at both a fixed location and through a mobile service. The testing site will be funded through the federal Corona Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
More details about the site will be shared as plans are finalized.
Encouraging case trends
While testing remains a concern, public health officials are encouraged by a gradual decrease in the rate of new COVID-19 cases reported in Kitsap County.
A key measure of COVID-19 activity is the rate of cases reported per 100,000 population reported over a 14-day period. The rate in Kitsap rose as high as 94 cases per 100,000 at the end of July. The rate fell to 35 cases per 100,000 in the most recent update. Though improved, the rate is still higher than the Safe Start target of 25 cases per 100,000 established by the state.
The percent of total COVID-19 tests that are positive dropped to 2.6% last week, down from about 6% in mid-July. This is another indicator COVID-19 activity could be decreasing.
"Kitsap residents should feel good about what they have accomplished. Our collective actions have helped prevent more people from getting sick, and potentially saved lives," Dr. Morrow said. "COVID-19 is still spreading in our community and our work is far from over. If we can keep case rates low this fall, we can create the potential for more schools to resume in-person instruction and more businesses to open."