Grays Harbor confirmed COVID-19 case total now at eight

Grays Harbor, WA – Grays Harbor Public Health has announced that one additional case of COVID-19 was diagnosed on April 9, bringing the total in Grays Harbor to eight.

They say that public health staff are reviewing the case and notifying close contacts. 

People who are considered essential workers under Governor Jay Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order and have symptoms of COVID-19 are eligible for testing according to Grays Harbor County Health Officer Dr. John Bausher.

Because Grays Harbor County hospitals have limited amounts of COVID-19 testing supplies on hand, Dr. Bausher issued Grays Harbor County Health Order No. 2020-03 on March 31, 2020, requiring local hospitals and healthcare providers to only test certain groups of people for COVID-19.

“Grays Harbor Public Health’s incident management team is still working to bring more testing supplies and options to our County. In the meantime, we want to make sure that we continue to test people in our current priority groups,” said Bausher. “This includes essential workers like food service workers, grocery store staff, agriculture workers, and more.”

If you are an essential worker and your work requires you to leave home and you have symptoms of COVID-19, you may be eligible for testing.

  • A complete list of essential workers is available at https://coronavirus.wa.gov/whats-open-and-closed/essential-business
  • Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, body aches and/or chills; cough; and difficulty breathing.
  • If you do not have a regular health care provider, you can call Grays Harbor Public Health’s COVID-19 call center at (360) 964-1850 and speak with a medical professional who can assess whether or not you meet criteria for testing.

What people should do

  • Grays Harbor County resident should do their part by following Governor Jay Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order. Stay home unless you need to pursue an essential activity like shopping for groceries or going to a medical appointment.
  • Residents should wear a cloth face cover when they have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities, and cannot maintain 6 feet of physical distance from others. This recommendation is not a substitute for existing guidance to maintain 6-feet of physical distance from non-household members and performing frequent hand hygiene with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Wearing cloth face coverings will not prevent spread of COVID-19 without these other protective measures. This is not a mandate that you must wear a face covering. It is considered an additional layer of protection.
  • If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, body aches and/or chills; cough; difficulty breathing), seek medical attention.

If you have a regular healthcare provider, call your provider.

If you do not have a regular health care provider, you can call Grays Harbor Public Health’s COVID-19 call center at (360) 964-1850 and speak with a medical professional who can assess whether or not you meet criteria for testing. You can also call Grays Harbor Community Hospital’s primary care clinic for patients with respiratory symptoms at 1-866-537-2778 or Summit Pacific Medical Center’s Respiratory Care Unit nurse line at 360-346-2222.

Where to get information

The incident management team will be working to get information out as it becomes available.

  • Grays Harbor Public Health has set up a call center to answer questions about COVID-19. Call (360) 964-1850 or email [email protected].
    • The call center is staffed Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM until 4:00 PM and is bi-lingual (English and Spanish).
    • Residents who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, difficulty breathing) can also call the call center for testing and medical care referrals.
  • Local information and resources related to COVID-19 are also available on our website at www.healthygh.org/covid19.

Case updates

Grays Harbor County has 8 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

  • March 2020: 2 cases
  • April 2020: 6 cases