No restrictions or closures included in the declaration
— from Brendan Cowan, San Juan County Department of Emergency Management —
The San Juan County Council will be meeting on Friday March 13 to declare an emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
By declaring an emergency, San Juan County can fully employ all emergency response plans, utilize county resources and authorize emergency expenditures for the response throughout San Juan County. There will be no restrictions or closures included in the declaration.
“An emergency declaration is another step in our efforts towards ensuring all County resources are available as needed,” said Rick Hughes, Chair of the San Juan County Council.
As of March 12, 2020, there have been no confirmed COVID-19 cases in San Juan County; however, rapid spread throughout Washington State has increased the County’s aggressive planning and preparation work.
Chair Hughes said, “Our County has been working on emergency preparations since January and we have ramped up our efforts as the outbreak has progressed. This is a challenging situation for everyone, and we absolutely appreciate the ongoing spirit and energy of the islands and our citizens in the midst of so much stress and uncertainty.”
A copy of the emergency declaration will be available on the County website once officially approved by Council.
San Juan County health officials continue reminding 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 visit a clinic or the hospital without calling first. Follow your doctor or health professional’s direction. If you feel the situation is urgent, call 911.
For more information and if you have access to the internet, please visit our informational webpage at www.sanjuanco.com and click on the “COVID-19 Information” bar at the top of the page. This website is updated as new information becomes available. You can also visit the San Juan County Health and Community Services Facebook page.
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Confirmed cases are no indicator of actual cases; that’s the problem, and it’s why pandemics spread so quickly and exponentially. We have absolutely NO way of knowing who might have covid without testing – which will be unavailable to most people, and is only recommended for symptomatic people. The problem is the incubation time before symptoms: 2-21 days.
The congressional physician estimates that between 70 and 150 million in the U.S. will contract coronavirus. That may be too conservative.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/congressional-doc-says-coronavirus-likely-093802249.html
It’s also thought that there are cases that have been misdiagnosed as some other respiratory diseases; those involved fatalities. We know little about it. This virologist suggests with his research that coronavirus likely originated in the U.S.A: (source, Global Research, a Canadian investigative journalism site)
http://www.globalresearch.ca/china-coronavirus-shocking-update/5705196
So what is the status of getting enough coronavirus test kits for the county’s needs. Don’t wait for the state/Feds. Use your emergency funds to acquire needed supplies – now.
thank you
Acquire needed supplies – now, from wherever.. Canada? UW? S.Korea?.
By Monday, please.
Worldwide reports indicate that the most successful responses in terms of slowing/limiting coronavirus spread and sparing medical resources for ALL uses depend on rapid widespread testing.
The distance of small rural islands with a large vulnerable elderly cohort from mainland healthcare resources makes our response more pressing than for the state at large, and the national response is not a model for local strategies.
Lol, what national response!? The US won’t even implement wide-spread testing…say what you want about China, the US response has been and continues to be such an utter failure it boggles the mind!
True or not, speculation about origins and political accountability is a distraction. We can focus and come together or dither in deadly recrimination. The only possible effect is negative.
We need our local healthcare system to function in a unique way to address our particular local needs; this epidemic targets a substantial portion of our community .. AND even if it did not! we are accountable for the care of our most vulnerable, even if everyone has to get tested to save one neighbor.
Think it over before hitting ‘send.’
Thanks
There are no known cases in San Juan County. We have natural barrier. The County Council and the WSF should restrict all but emergency and freight travel.
Before the 20 deaths in Kirkland made Seattle a national “hotspot,” official estimates are that undetected “community transmission” – that is, amongst individuals with no connection to other known hotspots- was responsible. And without symptoms.
The epidemiologically recognized missing piece in this picture was
*testing.*
And the dead were people like many of us: older folks dependent on the good judgement of their community. And the experts were “flying blind,” in the words of one.
Because of the National Flub of not anticipating the predictable need, we were not ready. And now it is here. And we have no plan except mitigation: staying home and handwashing.. and waiting for someone to get sick.
According to the County web site we have tested 23 people out of thousands, [on this scale the results are irrelevant]
many of whom have already come and gone to the mainland. Again in the words of epidemiologists, shutting down transportation now is like closing the barn door after the cows are gone, and the missing piece is …wait for it …
~rapid widespread testing~
to get a sample of what we are dealing with so we can proceed intelligently. ..Not with trust and ignorance.
And we are NOT talking about testing only of those with symptoms or known exposure risks. That was never a plan, but failure mode.
I have talked to folks at the Dept. of Emergency Management and Orcas PHD, and the news is that UW is testing and taking rapid admissions, the other clinic OFHC is not testing but assessing.
Why is this not in our local news!!!
But we have no plan.. except for ~trust and ignorance~.
And no widespread testing. And no one is talking.
*Access*
*Collaboration* [transparency]
*Continuity-of-Care*
This. Is. A. Test.