DATA UPDATE: The state Department of Health has temporarily stopped reporting negative COVID-19 test totals due to the high volume of testing. Kitsap Public Health will not be able to update the “Total Negative Tests” field in our daily surveillance report until further notice. Because negative test totals are needed to calculate the percent of tests that are positive, we will also pause reporting the “% Positive.”

 

Department of Health temporarily pauses reporting of negative COVID-19 test results

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is asking the state’s laboratories that conduct the largest volume of tests to temporarily stop sending individual negative COVID-19 test results, and instead send the aggregate number of negative test results per day. During this time, DOH dashboards will report positive cases each day, but not the total number of daily tests or percent positive. This will also affect local reporting of negative COVID-19 test results.

DOH is taking this temporary step to ensure state and local public health officials receive positive results for all reportable conditions in a timely enough manner to carry out effective case investigations and contact tracing, and to have real-time visibility of the incidence and trajectory of COVID-19 cases (positive results), as well as other reportable disease cases.

Persons testing for COVID-19 receive their results from their health care provider or testing sites. Anyone testing positive for COVID-19 should isolate for at least 10 days since the onset of their symptoms and 24 hours after fever has resolved without using fever-reducing medication. Other COVID-19 symptoms should also be improving before resuming contact with others.

Read the DOH news release for more details.

Now, more than ever, quarantine and isolation center volunteers are critical to the county's COVID-19 response. Volunteers support guests who are staying at the center because they are not able to safely quarantine or isolate at home. The Q/I Center is located at the beautiful Pilgrim Firs Conference Center near Port Orchard. Volunteers are provided with safety training and personal protective equipment when on site and can choose how often they want to work. Volunteers must be over the age of 18 with full mobility. 

To register as a volunteer emergency worker, go to https://bit.ly/KCEmergencyWorker.

Take an inside look at the Q/I center in this YouTube video produced by BKAT Bremerton-Kitsap Access Television.