Coronavirus, or COVID-19 remains the talk of the town, country and globe as the number of afflicted grows.

Local health officials said there are no known cases of the virus in Clallam County or Sequim as of Tuesday, March 3, but they feel it’s just a matter of time.

However, Dr. Allison Unthank, Clallam County’s health officer, said not to skip your daily routines.

“It’s entirely safe to go about your regular life, go to the store, movies, etc.,” she said.

“Just wash your hands more often and don’t touch your face. You can be out in the world.”

While a new disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports coronavirus spreads appears to spread through close contact with an infected person at about 6 feet and/or from inhaling respiratory droplets from an infected person’s coughs or sneezes into the lungs/body.

Symptoms may appear two-14 days after exposure with a fever, cough and shortness of breath, the CDC reports.

Unthank — who, along with Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Tom Locke, is coordinating multi-agency health and emergency response efforts against COVID-19 for their respective counties — said most people who get the disease will feel like they have a cold or flu and get better on their own.

She said those infected are the elderly with preexisting conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and those with prolonged contact with ill people, like healthcare personnel and spouses, she said.

Sequim is a place she worries about for its high elder population, too.

However, unlike the flu, the coronavirus doesn’t seem to affect children as much, she said.

This week Unthank and other health officials set up the Clallam County Emergency Operations Center in Port Angeles to help prevent and combat the infection.

She said they’ve begun calling senior care facilities to review best practices for cleaning surfaces and minimizing exposure.

Care facilities prepare

The growing number of cases in Washington including Kirkland’s Life Care Center where several cases were reported led some local senior living and senior assistance facilities to brace for the potential arrival of COVID-19 in Sequim.

Cathy Diem, director for Sherwood Assisted Living, said staff saw “a small flu outbreak in December that we handled the way we’re supposed to, so we’re very ready if something happens here.”

She said she’s instructed Sherwood’s cleaning staff to perform extra cleaning as a precaution.

Diem’s hope is that people calm down about the virus.

“When people get so upset about something that doesn’t help, it’s bad for your health and your immune system,” she said. “It’s better to calm down and look at things than get worked up.”

Calls to other Sequim care facilities early this week were not returned by press time.

Hospital update

Olympic Medical Center officials say they’ve been following Clallam County Department of Health and Human Services’ lead for what’s being asked for hospitals and clinics.

Bobby Beeman, OMC’s communications and public affairs manager, said they continue to treat things “as business as usual.”

“We want patients to continue coming to medical appointments and coming for procedures,” she said.

“If they’re experiencing flu-like symptoms to call and just check in and if they have concerns because they thought they had interacted with an individual with the virus.”

Dr. Scott Kennedy, OMC’s chief medical officer/safety officer, said they made some internal changes that patients and visitors will notice for safety reasons against the virus.

Kennedy said they plan to take out all magazines and books from waiting rooms and increase cleaning schedules for high touch areas.

“This takes it to the next step,” he said.

As patients come in, they’ll be separated by those with respiratory and non-respiratory symptoms too.

Those with respiratory issues must wear a mask, Kennedy said.

Policies for flu and common illnesses have been reinforced, too, he said, with ill employees encouraged not to come back in until free of symptoms for at least 24 hours.

Kennedy said they haven’t seen an influx of patients coming in about the virus but do anticipate it.

Staff plan to post signage encouraging people not to come in with mild symptoms but to call in if worsening over time.

Patient support groups and other events haven’t been cancelled, Kennedy said, but that could change as situations evolve in the area.

Tribe’s efforts

At the Jamestown Family Health Clinic, Director of Health Services Brent Simcosky said they’re also following the county’s lead while adding some of their own protocols.

They’ve expanded some of their screening questions and established a team of triage nurses to handle potential calls even though the call load has remained light for now, he said.

The clinic’s staff now wipe down high-touch surfaces on the hour, Simcosky said.

Like OMC, clinic staffers tell patients to stay home with more manageable symptoms and to check in if having more severe symptoms like difficulty breathing.

Simcosky said they also have protocol in place if they suspect a patient is infected with the coronavirus with two negative pressure air rooms available and special equipment for staff to help patients.

Equipment

Kennedy said OMC stocked up on high-end equipment for situations like the spread of the coronavirus to prevent it from spreading among staff.

Part of the county’s Emergency Operations Center’s role, Unthank said, is to check on supply levels for care facilities, clinics and hospitals.

She said Clallam County stores are seeing a shortage of masks, which could affect local providers.

“We don’t recommend the general population wear masks,” Unthank said. “If you wear them in a general setting, they don’t really work.”

Kennedy agrees saying they’re meant for the ill and those who care for the ill. He advises against hoarding masks too and conserve them for health care.

For those seeking a coronavirus test, Unthank said clinics aren’t offering it and only hospitalized people in at-risk categories are receiving them.

She said Washington’s counties are coordinating and shifting strategies for handling coronavirus patients.

What you can do

For those seek best strategies to prevent the virus, Unthank encourages people to “do everything they can to take care of themselves.” That includes getting a flu shot and staying home if sick.

Another concern, she said, is maintaining the already level of strained healthcare employees and those in the service industry.

“What we’re really recommending is for employers to keep staff home who are sick,” Unthank said.

“Not everyone can work from home, but we’re encouraging employers to have flexible policies. If there’s no vacation or sick leave, maybe consider it. If you don’t have policies, then other people will get sick.”

The CDC recommends preventative measures centered on frequent hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, staying home when sick, covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing, and keeping distance from ill people.

Unthank said hand sanitizers work fine as a substitute, if needed.

If in a public bathroom, Kennedy recommends after washing your hands to use paper towels to turn off the sink and open doors.

For more information about COVID-19, visit cdc.gov/covid19.

Elsewhere in Sequim

Local agencies say they too are following the county’s lead about virus protection.

Fire Chief Ben Andrews with Clallam County Fire District 3 said their crews will handle situations similar to the H1N1 virus in 2009.

“We’ll ask some additional questions (of patients) and be in touch with the emergency room so that they might know if we have a potential (coronavirus patient),” Andrews said.

They also have high-level masks if needed, he said.

Sequim City Manager Charlie Bush said they’re educating themselves on the virus and beginning to make plans for the city if the virus escalates. For now, they’ve been sending out information through the city’s social media pages.

“We want to make sure we protect our employees and the public as best as possible,” he said.

Sequim, peninsula schools readying

Two Chimacum School District students were exposed to COVID-19, school district authorities told parents Monday, March 2, on the district’s Facebook page.

The Jefferson County Health Department determined they did not have symptoms and were not contagious, though the students were picked up from the school Monday and were not there Monday afternoon, according to the district.

“We will absolutely see community transmission of the coronavirus on the Olympic Peninsula, and most of it will be a very mild illness,” Locke said Monday.

The Port Angeles, Port Townsend and Quilcene school districts also have issued COVID-19 advisories to parents urging good hygiene and pledging to keep them updated.

Sequim schools superintendent Rob Clark said at a March 2 board meeting that the district does not have any immediate concerns over the novel coronavirus, but they are keeping a close eye on the situation — particularly after Kingston High School was closed that day for precautionary cleaning.

Clark noted that the district has just recently updated their pandemic flu policy in Nov. 2019, and any response to a potential coronavirus outbreak in the area would be handled under that policy. An email about this policy was sent to district parents, and Clark said that district nurse Sonja Bittner is already coordinating with him on “just in case” preparations.

Clark recommended that sick students are kept home until they are well, and the pandemic flu policy states that sick students need to be kept home for at least 24 hours after their fever breaks.

Some parents are already keeping their students at home out of concern over the disease, and while Clark said that those absences will be excused for now, he did caution that “there’s only so long that can continue without impact if there’s no sickness.”

When asked if the school district would consider closing schools for a cleaning or other measures without waiting for a county or state recommendation to do so, Clark didn’t hesitate.

“Absolutely: If it’s about the safety of our students, we’re not going to wait,” he said.

Clark also noted that if absences related to illness in a school reach 20 percent of that school’s population, the Clallam County Health & Human Services department will mandate that school close for cleaning.