COVID-19 update from the Kitsap EOC - September 18, 2020

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COVID-19 Testing Results Update for Kitsap County as of 2 p.m. Sept. 18

 

COVID-19 daily cases

 

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 symptoms, no matter how mild. 

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. Read the news release for more details.

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.

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. 
  • Encouraging local health care providers to test symptomatic patients as quickly as possible. 
  • Working with the Kitsap County Emergency Operations center to develop a community-based testing site to expand testing options for Kitsap residents.

Kitsap residents are urged to create a plan for how they will get tested if they experience symptoms and how they can separate themselves from others while they are sick. The Centers for Disease Control website has more information about COVID-19 symptoms what to do if you feel sick. Check with your primary care provider or call 2-1-1 for information on testing locations in Kitsap County.

 

get tested

 

Community-based testing site planned this fall

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. 

 

Updates to wedding and funeral guidance

The Kitsap Pathway to Recovery Playbook was updated on September 18 to include additional guidance for weddings and funerals as part of Washington's Safe Start phased reopening plan

The update allows wedding and funeral receptions to resume, as long as they meet specific requirements. Read the governor's memo for more details.

 

COVID-19 vaccine update

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) provided an update on progress being made toward a COVID-19 vaccine. Five federal regions (four states and a city) have been chosen to be pilot states in the CDC’s planning. Washington is not one of the pilot states. However, plans will be developed based on lessons learned from the pilot project.

When a coronavirus vaccine is approved and released, prioritization will happen at the federal level first. Because there won’t be a lot of vaccine available in the first round, the state will work on further prioritization. See the DOH news release for more details.

 

Port of Kingston sign

Port of Kingston

 

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