COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) is a public health emergency globally and nationally. This posting it to provide residents with the federal, state and local sources of information to answer questions involving the response to this virus.

Current status

There has just been a news conference held by King County Public Health today, that has confirmed that there was a death of a patient in a high risk category with COVID-19 last evening. In the Snohomish Health District there are two (2) new presumptive positive cases of COVID-19, as well as an additional case announced in Oregon and another in California.

The Whatcom County Health Department is the lead agency and has established Incident Command for all of Whatcom County including the City of Bellingham.

Symptoms of coronavirus are similar to flu or colds and may include:

– Runny nose

– Headache

– Cough

– Sore throat

– Fever

– A general feeling of being unwell

NOTE: If you have been notified by public health authorities that you may have been exposed, please follow instructions provided by your Local Health Department.

How to protect yourself:

There are steps people should take to reduce their risk of getting and spreading any viral respiratory infections. These include:

– Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.

– Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.

– Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

– Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.

– Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces.

– Stay at home and away from others if you are feeling ill.

How can I get information?

Sudden Valley is updated by the Whatcom County Department of Emergency Management on the status of the response daily (or as needed) and will continue to be informed and will implement the directives of the incident commander. Part of that response will be to push out information to SVCA residents as conditions change. SVCA will use the same systems used during the recent snow response (web site, social media primarily), the E-Blast and emergency texting are available and will be used as needed.

Staying informed is the key and here are the most current sources of information:

Centers for Disease Control (CDC):  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html

Washington State Public Health (DOH): https://www.doh.wa.gov/emergencies/coronavirus#beprepared

Whatcom County Public Health: https://whatcomcounty.us/3329/Novel-Coronavirus-COVID-19

The Washington State Department of Health has established a call center to address questions from the public. If you have questions about what is happening in Washington, how the virus is spread, and what to do if you have symptoms, please call 1-800-525-0127 and press #.

If you have any questions or concerns about the public health emergency please send those to norm@suddenvalley.com you may call the Administrative offices during business hours and your inquiry will be relayed to the Public Safety Manager.