New case of COVID-19 found in Port Townsend woman

Posted

A new case of COVID-19 was discovered in Jefferson County late Friday.

The new confirmed test of someone with the coronavirus pushed the number of COVID-19 infections in Jefferson County to 71.

The latest case involves a woman from Port Townsend.

Through Tuesday, Sept. 14, a total of 7,499 people in Jefferson County have been tested for the coronavirus.

A total of 7,357 people have tested negative for COVID-19. 

The percent of people in Jefferson County who have tested positive for the disease is
0.96 percent.

Test results are still pending for 71 patients.

Of the confirmed cases, 37 of those infected have been female, and 34 have been male.

A majority of those who have been found to have COVID-19 are from Port Townsend.

According to Jefferson County Public Health, 37 COVID cases are from Port Townsend. A total of 27 were found in mid-county residents, and the remaining seven are from south county (Quilcene, Brinnon, and West Jefferson).

Jefferson County Public Health Director Vicki Kirkpatrick said no new cases were reported over the weekend.

“The number of cases is still low and trending low,” Kirkpatrick told Jefferson County commissioners at their weekly COVID-19 update meeting Monday. 

Many of those who have tested positive have come out of isolation, and others who were on quarantine due to potential COVID-19 exposure are also no longer in quarantine, she said.

The county remains in a bit of a lull from new cases, Kirkpatrick said.

Local schools recently reopened, and Kirkpatrick said Jefferson County Public Health has been offering assistance in getting questions answered.

“All in all it went well from a COVID-19 perspective,” she said of the start of school.

“The schools have their plans in place and were prepared and ready to go. So so far, it looks good.” 

Kirkpatrick also noted that Public Health Officer Dr. Tom Locke has put together a protocol for school districts for what to do if a student or staff member has COVID-like symptoms. 

Students and school staff will also have increased access to tests, she said.

Jefferson Healthcare has made arrangements to have testing available in Quilcene at the South County Clinic.

Kirkpatrick said testing at the Port Ludlow Clinic will follow.

“Quilcene is ready,” she said. “It’s probably a matter of days, maybe a week or so for Port Ludlow.”

As of Monday, the two-week COVID-19 case rate (per 100,000 people) was 3.13 percent.

No deaths in Jefferson County have been linked to COVID-19.