Submitted by San Juan County

On April 1, San Juan County Health and Community Services staff were notified of a second positive COVID-19 test result on San Juan Island and a third on Orcas Island. This brings the total number of cases in San Juan County to six. The county data reporting page will be updated at the end of the day, according to public health officials, once all of the test results and numbers from all local healthcare providers are available and updated.

The new positive test result on San Juan Island was reported for a staff member at PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center in Friday Harbor. The PeaceHealth Infection Prevention Team is actively working to identify, contact, and inform all who may have potentially been exposed.

According to Peace Health Peace Island Medical Center Chief Administrative Officer Merry-Ann Keane, “We are working closely with County Health Officer Dr. Frank James and our staff are coordinating with and following the guidance of the County public health team in an effort to limit the impact of this situation.”

Dr. James further explained, “Our team is monitoring this situation closely and supporting the hospital with all of the resources we can. I want to remind residents that though the islands have been doing everything right and people have been taking this situation seriously, these new cases are a warning that the next couple of weeks will be critical in determining how well we weather this storm. Kids, businesses, individuals, organizations… everyone needs to do everything they can to minimize all contact between individuals who are not already living together.”

Residents of all islands should be working off the assumption that the illness is present in their community. Aggressive efforts to ensure hygiene, to limit social contact, and to remove any opportunity for disease transmission are essential.

San Juan County health officials remind everyone that if you feel sick and have mild symptoms, stay home. If you feel you have more serious symptoms or if you are at risk for severe illness, stay home and call your health provider. Do not go directly to a clinic or to the hospital. Follow your doctor or health provider’s direction. If you feel the situation is urgent and life-threatening, call 911.

For more information and if you have access to the internet, please visit our informational webpage at www.sjccovid.com. You can also visit the San Juan County Health and Community Services Facebook page. The San Juan County COVID-19 Hotline is staffed 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, call 360-370-7500. The State of WA Hotline is staffed from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., 7 days a week, call 800-525-0127.

For more information on San Juan County’s COVID-19 response, visit https://www.sanjuanco.com/1668/2019-Novel-Coronavirus.

For more information about contact tracing, see the county’s article about contact tracing at https://www.islandssounder.com/news/public-health-101-contact-tracing/.