||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT|||
Since the last update on Friday November 18, there have been 27 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current case count is now 431.
There are approximately eight unvaccinated close contacts of positive cases currently in quarantine in the islands.
LOPEZ ISLAND: There are fourteen new cases on Lopez Island since the last update. There are fifteen positive cases under active monitoring on Lopez Island, nearly all of the new cases are related to the ongoing outbreak.
ORCAS ISLAND: There are nine new cases on Orcas Island since the last update. There are eight positive cases under active monitoring on Orcas Island.
SAN JUAN ISLAND: There are four new cases on San Juan Island since the last update. There are six positive cases under active monitoring on San Juan Island at this time, including two residents who have been hospitalized for some time.
OVERALL SITUATION:
Case counts continue to be concerning. Islanders should be thoughtful about their decision making, recognize that exposure to the illness is common, and utilize over the counter rapid antigen tests (available at many pharmacies) to help reduce risk when gathering with groups.
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Where can we get the tests on Orcas?, both home test kits and at a facility??
Our experience was that over-the-counter tests provided a false positive, confirmed by multiple PCR tests at the clinic.
Purchased at the pharmacy, not dependable.
Why are you no longer saying how many of the new cases are in fully vaccinated people?
We used QuickVue tests purchased at Ray’s. One came in positive and the other negative, both confirmed by PCR tests at the clinic. I’ve heard that these rapid tests are about 90 percent accurate.
It would be helpful to have a list of all the places where a PCR test is available on each island.
False positives (it says you have Covid when you don’t) in the antigen tests are fairly rare. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible for a false positive to occur. The bigger problem with them is false negatives.
Please don’t avoid the rapid home tests because one guy says that he had trouble with it.