Weekly case count update shows no new Orcas cases

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

Since the last update on Friday November 5 (revised November 7), there have been 19 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current case count is now 376. Of these 19 new cases, initial investigations indicate that seven appear to have occurred in fully vaccinated individuals. There are approximately 29 unvaccinated close contacts of positive cases currently in quarantine in the islands.

• LOPEZ ISLAND: There are four new cases on Lopez Island since the last update. There are four positive cases under active
  monitoring on Lopez Island.
• ORCAS ISLAND: There are no new cases on Orcas Island since the last update. There is one positive case under active
  monitoring on Orcas Island.
• SAN JUAN ISLAND: There are fifteen new cases on San Juan Island since the last update. There are thirteen positive cases
  under active monitoring on San Juan Island.

IMPORTANT INFO:
Case numbers remain stubbornly elevated in the islands. Cases in Skagit County are near an all-time peak. Our chances of being exposed to COVID infection remain high. What does this mean?

Being fully vaccinated is more important than ever. Each passing week only makes it clearer that being vaccinated provides significant protection from serious illness and death and greatly reduces the likelihood of initial infection.

If you are eligible, get your booster. If you have children who are eligible, get them vaccinated. And if you’re not vaccinated yet, please do so. Thousands of islanders are registered for clinics that are happening across the islands this coming week, and there are still appointments available for many of them. Please go here to learn more and register.

LIMITING SPREAD:
With many islanders gathering with others over Thanksgiving, taking precautions to limit spread is critical to celebrating safely. One of the single most useful tools is using over the counter rapid COVID tests to test those gathering before they come together. This isn’t a 100% fool-proof approach but does provide a significant level of assurance that those gathering are not infectious.

Sadly, for reasons that are unclear and frustrating, rapid tests are not nearly as readily available as they should be given how far into this mess we are. However, they are frequently available online and at mainland and some island pharmacies. Searching “rapid antigen COVID test” should get you pointed in the right direction. Tests usually cost about $25 for two. Testing before and after any gathering of friends or family is a relatively simple precaution well worth taking.