Emphasizing the importance of staying home, Public Health—Seattle & King County announces 131 new cases for April 3, 2020

Novel Coronavirus, Press Releases

Summary:

Emphasizing the need for residents to stay home, Public Health—Seattle & King County reported 131 new cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the official case count in King County to 2787. In addition, 11 new deaths are reported, bringing the total of COVID-19 deaths in King County to 186.

Story:

As COVID-19 continues to spread steadily, Public Health reminds community of the value of staying home

Evidence continues to show the virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading in King County. With more than 100 new cases per day, staying home and avoiding all non-essential contact with others is the best way to stay healthy and keep others healthy.

If you must go out, stay at least six feet apart from others at all times. Wash your hands with soap frequently and avoid touching your face. COVID-19 is highly contagious and each face-to-face interaction is an opportunity for it to spread.

Everyone, even people who are young and healthy, must stay home to slow the spread of COVID-19.

When distancing is difficult, non-medical masks can help limit the spread of COVID-19

Some people are interested in wearing face-masks. Wearing a homemade cloth mask (or other non-medical grade mask or face covering) may provide benefits in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in our community. But, because there are few studies, we don’t really know for sure how useful cloth masks or other face coverings might be.

“Medical masks are needed for healthcare workers who are caring for patients with COVID-19. We need our healthcare workers to be able to safely continue providing their services during this pandemic,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health—Seattle & King County. “For the general public, homemade fabric masks, especially if well-made and fit, may provide some benefit.”

To learn more about wearing non-medical masks, see Public Health Insider, the news blog for Public Health.

Each individual’s actions affect the health of our entire community, and what we do as a community protects us all. Stand Together, Stay Apart

For additional information about COVID-19 and the response in King County, be sure to check our webpage: www.kingcounty.gov/covid

Case updates

Public Health—Seattle & King County is reporting the following confirmed cases and deaths due to COVID-19 through 11:59 p.m. on 4/2/20.

  • 2787 confirmed positive cases (up 131 from yesterday)
  • 186 confirmed deaths (up 11 from yesterday)

Important Note:Detailed information about demographics of those who died from COVID-19 is available on the data dashboard (www.kingcounty.gov/covid/data). Be sure to click the button to filter by “positive results only” to see age and gender of deaths.

Isolation and quarantine facilities update

Isolation and quarantine is a proven public health practice for reducing the spread of disease. Examples of people who may need this assistance include people who cannot safely isolate from a family member who is elderly or medically fragile, or people experiencing homelessness. Individuals can only be placed into the King County sites after a health professional with Public Health has determined that they need isolation or quarantine.

Forty-one people are currently staying in King County isolation and quarantine facilities.