UPDATE: Because of concerns for patient privacy, health officials are not sharing where the patients are from nor where they are hospitalized.

By Michael Lang

Grays Harbor News Group

Grays Harbor County health officials say two Harborites have been hospitalized outside the county and health officials are investigating whether they have the novel coronavirus and they will be tested for COVID-19, according to a release from the county Public Health and Social Services department.

There have been no confirmed cases in Grays Harbor County of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19.

Karolyn Holden, director of the county Public Health department, said the patients are experiencing respiratory disease and tests showed that they did not have common diseases, including influenza associated with the season. The state will test the patients for coronavirus.

“We are at the point where the number of cases that have come to light in the past four or five days (make it appear that) this has been going on in the background for some time,” she said. “(Coronavirus) is part of what is occurring in terms of seasonal respiratory illness in our community. And at this point, it’s hard to know how much of what we’re seeing is due to COVID. But we know that people are walking around out there with it but aren’t any sicker with it than anything else you would get this time of year.”

She added that if the patients under suspicion test positive, their families will be asked to stay home voluntarily for 14 days to see if they develop symptoms.

“I think that what we will find over the next several days as this continues to evolve is that there will be less of a focus on identifying each single case and more on getting people to behave in the ways that limit the spread of viral illnesses,” she added.

In the meantime, the state is doing all it can to meet the demand for testing and making accurate information available to the public.

“The COVID-19 situation in Washington State is evolving rapidly and there is now evidence that the virus is spreading in communities,” the county release states. “Public health officials believe that there will likely be an increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases as testing becomes more readily available. The most current information about the number of cases in Washington State is available on the Washington State Department of Health’s 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak (COVID-19) webpage (doh.wa.gov/coronavirus).”

On Tuesday (March 3), state DOH reported that there had been nine deaths from the coronavirus. All nine people were from Washington state.

The release from the county offers some tips for helping to cut the spread of diseases in general:

Actions you can take now include:

· Stay home when you are sick.

· Stay away from people who are sick with a fever and cough.

· Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.

· Cover your coughs and sneezes. Throw out used tissues and wash your hands.

· Avoid touching your mouth and eyes.

· Get a flu shot.

· Make plans for what you might do if your child’s school closes.

· Find out your options for sick leave or working remotely if you need to stay home, or care for someone at home.

· Talk with your neighbors and make a plan to help one another if one of you gets sick and stays at home, such as dropping groceries off at the doorstep.

More information is available from the following sources:

CDC: cdc.gov/coronavirus (includes guidance for businesses, schools, individuals and families).

Washington State Department of Health: doh.wa.gov/coronavirus.

Washington State Department of Health call center for general coronavirus questions: 1-800-525-0127, press #.

Grays Harbor County Public Health: healthyGH.org.