There are no new COVID-19 cases anywhere in county; tips to keep it that way

||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT |||

Note: Current positive case numbers are available online at the County Case Data Dashboard. As indicated on that page, these numbers are only updated after case confirmation is complete, usually daily. It is possible that other information sources in community may be quicker to report on new cases, but ensuring privacy and accuracy is critical for this official information source.

Since the last update on Friday Feb. 19, total cases in San Juan County have remained steady at 129. Note that there is one close contact of a positive case currently in active quarantine.

ORCAS ISLAND
There are no new cases on Orcas Island since the last update.
There are no positive cases under active monitoring on Orcas Island at this time.

LOPEZ ISLAND
There are no new cases on Lopez Island.
There are no positive cases on Lopez Island at this time.

SAN JUAN ISLAND
There are no new cases on San Juan Island.
There are no positive cases under active monitoring on San Juan Island at this time.

OVERALL PICTURE:
First off, let’s take a moment to savor the fact that this is our first week with no new cases since early October, back when our case count was at a modest 32. Secondly, let’s acknowledge the incredible work of the San Juan County Health & Community Services Surveillance Team. A behind the scenes look at our 129 cases to date reveals many situations that could have easily led to broad(er)
community spread. There is no doubt that prompt and thorough investigation and detailed monitoring were major contributors to the lack of widespread transmission. It is worth noting that many jurisdictions across the country have long ago given up on proactive contact tracing- and have seen an uptick in disease spread as a result.

Finally, let’s acknowledge the incredible role the community has played so far. Everything from masking up to respecting Public Health guidance around quarantining has contributed to a comparatively successful response to date. This is no small thing.

Islanders, here’s the deal: things are looking up. Vaccination rates are increasing, cases are decreasing, schools are slowly reopening, the vaccines appear to be highly effective, the days are getting longer, and spring is close. These are all good and encouraging things.

We’re not going to preach gloom and doom. But there are variants spreading and they may cause yet another surge in cases that requires a roll-back. Here’s what we ask:

• Keep up with our basic precautions.
• There’s a lot of room between full lock-down and acting like we’re 100% back to normal. Find that middle ground.
• Be thoughtful in our decisions.
• Stay patient.
• Get vaccinated, but please, only when it is your turn.

Thanks everyone.