Summary
Brand-new cases of COVID-19 in King County have been recognized that might have gone undetected, thanks to volunteer individuals who collected their own sample in your home and sent out to a lab for screening. In extra news, screening has been made available for symptomatic very first responders and health care workers who can not access screening through their healthcare company or occupational health services. Educational videos about COVID-19 now readily available in numerous languages.
Story
Cases of COVID-19 that may have gone undetected are now being determined throughout King County, thanks to volunteer participants utilizing a new at-home test kit to gather a nasal sample and return it to a lab for screening.
Public Health– Seattle & King County and the team behind the Seattle Flu Research study released the greater Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network– or SCAN for brief, on March 23,2020
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SCAN is the very first COVID-19 security program in the U.S. to utilize “swab-and-send” test packages. These packages enable people to collect their own nasal sample and return it to a lab for testing without leaving home to observe physical distancing assistance and reduce exposure to others.
In its very first 18 days, SCAN checked 4,092 samples. Almost two-thirds of the samples were returned by people who in the seven days prior to enrollment had actually reported COVID-like health problem (fever, cough, or shortness of breath). However, more than three-quarters of these individuals showed they had not yet looked for healthcare.
SCAN is a way for King County locals to help us much better comprehend the real level of the break out,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health– Seattle & King County. “As more representative samples from people all across the area are gathered and evaluated, the findings will become significantly valuable,” he stated, highlighting the significance of efforts to ensure higher variety amongst SCAN participants.
SCAN screening amongst those reporting COVID-like disease returned 44 (1.6%) positive results for COVID-19– a proportion lower than that being returned through screening within the medical system, however one that may still represent thousands of unacknowledged infections in the community.
Testing resources for very first responders and healthcare workers
If you are a first responder or a health care worker and are presently experiencing symptoms of COVID-19(usually fever, cough, or shortness of breath) and can not access screening through your healthcare provider or occupational health services at your office, there is COVID-19 testing readily available.
Please go to our COVID-19 site under “Resources for service providers and healthcare providers,” for additional information and to complete a survey to see if you satisfy criteria for these tests, or call 206-477-3977
Public education campaign videos readily available in 21 languages
To support our homeowners who speak languages other than English, Public Health has released public education project videos in 21 languages. View the videos on Public Health’s YouTube page, or discover them on Public Health’s Twitter and Facebook pages.
In addition, the following resources are readily available in several languages:
- Fact sheet offered in 21 languages on the COVID-19 homepage
- Guidance for vital businesses in Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese
- WA State Department of Health’s COVID-19 webpages in Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese
- U.S. CDC’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) web pages in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean
Case updates
Everyday totals for brand-new COVID-19 cases and deaths are offered on Public Health’s Data Control panel web page, which updates as quickly as information are available, normally in between 1-3 p.m.
Isolation and quarantine facilities update
Seclusion and quarantine is a proven public health practice for decreasing the spread of disease. Examples of individuals who might need this help include individuals who can not securely isolate from a family member who is elderly or clinically vulnerable, or individuals experiencing homelessness. Individuals can only be positioned into the King County sites after a health expert with Public Health has determined that they need seclusion or quarantine.
Seventy-four individuals are presently staying in King County isolation, quarantine and healing facilities. The number of residents at King County’s seclusion and quarantine websites is included in routine updates supplied by Public Health.
Extra information
- Details about COVID-19 and the response in King County, make certain to check our website: www.kingcounty.gov/covid
- Public Health publishes new info often through the Public Health Insider blog– please think about becoming a subscriber by picking the option to “Follow Blog Via Email.”
