The coronavirus has dominated headlines since the deadly outbreak started in China.
Up until now, we thought there were minimal cases here in the United States with no real threat of an outbreak.
That, however, may not exactly be true per news reports from local outlets in Spokane, WA.
Krem 2, a local CBS affiliate, is reporting that “794 people are under supervision for the illness as of Friday.”
That is actually an increase of 82 people since only earlier this week.
The Washington State Health Department stated, “While the current situation poses a public health threat, we have no evidence the virus is spreading in Washington, so the risk to the general public is low.”
Well, if the virus was not spreading, then why has the count of people under direct watch risen from 712 to 794 in less than a week?
Why Spokane, WA?
The interesting thing about all of this is that Spokane has been called upon to treat several confirmed cases of coronavirus for its specialized facility.
The Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center has secured isolation units.
This is only one of ten facilities around the country that offers these types of units.
The patients were reportedly brought in on Thursday and by Friday, there were about a dozen more people added to the list of those being monitored.
Spokane County Health Officer Dr. Bob Lutz, however, stated, “It is no risk to the general population.
“I will emphasize that as much as I possibly can.”
The manager of the specialized unit, Christa Arguinchona, stated, “The level of personal protective equipment we are wearing is in alignment with the CDC guidelines they have put out for caring for these patients, so that includes airborne protection, mucous membrane protection, and contact precautions.”
The Department of Health has offered its support to the facility, stating:
“The Department of Health stands ready to support the Spokane Regional Health District and Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane in preparation for the arrival of 5 individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19. We want to reiterate that the risk to the public from COVID-19 remains low.
The health workers at Sacred Heart in Spokane are trained to offer the safest, highest quality care to their patients. Sacred Heart’s Special Pathogens Unit is specially equipped to treat patients with infectious diseases as well.
We have the highest confidence in the medical professionals assisting with the care and transport for these people and we remain committed to assisting our partners in Spokane as needed.”
At this point, there has only been one person that has tested positive of those being monitored, but doctors still seem unsure about the incubation period of the disease and there have been conflicting reports about how it is transmitted.
This is a developing story and we will continue to monitor the situation as it progresses.
