Should you be tested for COVID-19? Here’s what’s happening in Washington state
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The United States reported more than 100 confirmed cases of people testing positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday, March 3, with nine deaths related to coronavirus in Washington state.
And a second Whatcom County resident is being tested for the virus, the Whatcom County Public Health Department confirmed Tuesday.
So, how do you know if you or your sick loved one with a cough, shortness of breath and fever actually is infected with the coronavirus or is just suffering from another cold or flu?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says your first step is to call your healthcare professional if you develop symptoms and have been in contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or traveled to an area where coronavirus is widespread.
Your healthcare provider then will work with the Washington State Department of Health and CDC to determine if you need to be tested for COVID-19, according to the CDC website.
The state’s Healthcare Provider & Facility Guidance on SARS-COV-2 — the cause of COVID-19 — lists the four criteria set Feb. 28 by the Department of Health to determine who should be tested as:
▪ People who present either a fever or lower respiratory symptoms and have had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 within 14 days of symptoms onset.
▪ People who present both fever and lower respiratory symptoms that require hospitalization and traveled to an area where COVID-19 is widespread within 14 days of onset.
▪ People who have a fever with a severe respiratory illness (such as pneumonia) that requires hospitalization and for whom no other explanation for the diagnosis exists.
▪ A local health officer requests testing.
Testing in our state is done at the Washington State Public Health Laboratories in Shoreline, according to the Department of Health, and includes submitting samples collected from the back of the nose, throat or respiratory tract. The turnaround time is three to five days once samples are received at the laboratory, but final results might be delayed if further testing is required.
While awaiting testing results, the Department of Health advises clinicians to continue investigating other potential causes for the symptoms.
If you’re sick
▪ Stay home, if you have mild symptoms, Whatcom public health officials said.
▪ If you’re really sick or at high risk for severe illness, stay home and call your health care provider.
▪ If you have questions, call the Washington State Department of Health’s call center at 1-800-525-0127 and press the pound sign.
▪ The call center is fielding questions about what is happening in the state, how the virus spreads, and what to do if you have symptoms. But the hotline is getting a lot of calls and may be temporarily unavailable at times.
Stay informed
▪ doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus
▪ www.whatcomcounty.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1617
▪ cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Should you be tested for COVID-19? Here’s what’s happening in Washington state."
