Press Release
Public Health

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Know When to Get Tested for COVID-19

Kittitas County, WA - 07/29/2020 - With an increase in COVID-19 cases in Kittitas County, we are seeing an increase in peoples’ concern and questions about when to get tested for COVID-19 after a potential exposure. Know when to get tested for COVID-19:

Did you have close contact with someone who is positive for COVID-19?  Were you within six feet for 15 minutes or more?  If so, we consider that “close contact.” Someone from the Health Department will notify you if you are considered a close contact of someone who is positive for COVID-19.
Do you have symptoms?  Common symptoms are fever, cough, and shortness of breath, or chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell.  Get tested as soon as you have symptoms.
Close contact and no symptoms? Monitor yourself for symptoms. Wait five days from your date of last contact and go get tested.  Why wait?  Because it takes time from an exposure for the virus to show up, so we don’t want to test too soon.  If you do become symptomatic, get tested immediately. Stay at home and away from others for 14 days from your last exposure.  Again, you will be notified if you are considered a close contact by our team.
Have you been around someone who is considered a close contact?  We call that is a secondary contact.  You do not need to take any immediate action as a secondary contact.  Continue to use general precautions of handwashing, physical distancing, face coverings, et cetera.
Stay home if you are sick.  Stay home if you have had close contact.  More information is available at https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/COVIDexposed.pdf.
 
Kittitas County currently has high rates of COVID-19 in our county.  Even removing the COVID-19 activity information with long-term care facilities, we have a 204-case rate per 100,000 for the last two weeks. The Washington State goal is less than a 25-case rate per 100,000 for the last two weeks.
 
The Kittitas County Incident Management Team (IMT) is currently working to contact positive cases in the county and ensure people in quarantine and isolation have their basic household needs met.  The IMT is coordinating closely with our long-term care facilities to continue to
 
provide care during the outbreaks at two facilities.  Dr. Larson continues to work with the schools to address moving forward safely for the fall of 2020.
 
If you have questions about your health, please contact your healthcare provider or you can call the Temporary COVID Clinic at KVH at 509-933-8850.  If you are having a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the Emergency Department at KVH.  If you have general questions about COVID-19, please call the EOC at 509-933-8315 or 509-933-8305.
 

• Know When to Get Tested for COVID-19.pdf
• Know When to Get Tested for COVID-19_Spanish.docx

Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us

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Contact: Kasey Knutson, Public Information Officer, (509) 962-7515

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