Two new COVID-19 cases in Clallam, one in Jefferson

Two new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Clallam County on Wednesday, while Jefferson County added one new confirmed case.

Both county’s case rates continued to be on the cusp between the low-risk and the moderate categories.

One of the new cases in Clallam County is believed to have been contracted through out-of-county transmission, while the other case was still under investigation, said Dr. Allison Unthank, Clallam County health officer.

Both the recent case in Jefferson County on Wednesday and the one on Tuesday were under investigation for how the virus was contracted, said Dr. Tom Locke, Jefferson County health officer.

The case rate in Clallam County dropped to 26 new cases per 100,000 residents for the last two weeks, while Jefferson County’s case rate, which is calculated weekly on Mondays, was on Monday at about 25 per 100,000 for the two weeks prior, said Locke and Unthank.

Clallam County is at the low end of the state’s moderate-risk category for case rates between 26 and 75 cases per 100,000, while Jefferson County was at the top end of the state’s low-risk category of 25 cases per 100,000 or lower.

Clallam County has confirmed 288 cases of COVID-19 since March, with 12 active cases, two patients currently hospitalized and one death.

Jefferson County has confirmed 91 cases of COVID-19 since March, with about 5 active cases and no deaths.

Jefferson County currently has about 15 close contacts of confirmed cases in quarantine, while Clallam County has about 45 contacts in quarantine, Unthank said.