Clallam County confirmed three new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, while Jefferson County reported one new case.
School districts in both counties continue to remain clear of COVID-19 cases, while others across the state and county have been seeing cases among students, health officers said.
Of the three newest cases in Clallam County, two are believed to have contracted the virus through out-of-county transmission, while the third was still under investigation as of Thursday, said Dr. Allison Unthank, Clallam County health officer.
The newest case in Jefferson County is a male teen, who is believed to have contracted the virus from the same source as a female teen who tested positive on Tuesday, said Dr. Tom Locke, Jefferson County health officer.
The county is still investigating where/who the common source is as of Thursday, Locke said.
“As we picked up this second case, that actually allows us to narrow down the common source exposures when we find two cases that are closely linked in time,” Locke said.
“It’s never certain. They could’ve independently been exposed elsewhere. But it increases the probability.”
Public schools
School districts across the North Olympic Peninsula continue to remain free of COVID-19 cases among staff and students, and the health officers have been impressed with how they’ve been adapting to the pandemic and transmission prevention protocols.
“I think parents, teachers and administrative staff are getting better at this new normal that they’re all living under,” Locke said. “It’s a really complex process. It’s very different from anything anyone has done before, but they’re doing it.
“They’re rising to the challenge. I’m continually impressed with both their dedication and their skill in carrying out these complicated protocols.”
Unthank said: “They’re really doing quite well…and are getting more and more comfortable with COVID-19 safety protocols.”
Most of the districts in Clallam County have started discussions for adding additional grade levels for in-person hybrid learning in the coming weeks, Unthank said.
Holiday season
Both Locke and Unthank are concerned about the upcoming holidays. They urge people to avoid traveling, and when possible, celebrate with just their immediate households with no large gatherings.
If people do gather, Unthank recommends no more than two households, and urges people to use face masks and social distancing when possible.
“The holidays are going to have to look different this year,” Unthank said. “We are very worried that people will be tempted to kind of have the holidays as usual or take a vacation from COVID-19 safety precautions.
“That’s really risky, especially if you’re traveling across the country, or traveling out of state, especially traveling by plane. Flying to see in-laws, things like that, that would really very likely introduce a lot of COVID-19 into our community and also potentially introduce COVID-19 into that family gathering,” she continued.
“Many of those family gatherings have older relatives, which makes that quite dangerous.”
Jefferson County Public Health has published additional holiday guidelines at tinyurl.com/PDN-SafeHolidays.
Case numbers
Clallam County has confirmed 291 cases of COVID-19 since March, with nine active cases, two patients currently hospitalized and one death, Unthank said.
Jefferson County has confirmed 91 cases of COVID-19 since March, with five active cases and no deaths, Locke said.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5 or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
