The Kitsap Public Health Department announced Thursday morning that now 10 Kitsap County residents are being tested for COVID-19, jumping up from six residents on Wednesday. Washington state health officials say 70 confirmed cases have been reported in the state, along with 10 deaths in Snohomish and King Counties.
There haven’t yet been any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Kitsap County as of Thursday morning, according to the Kitsap Public Health District. However, public health officials have confirmed COVID-19 is spreading in Washington state and Kitsap residents should be prepared for a community spread throughout the county. KPHD is currently awaiting test results for 10 possible cases of COVID-19 from Kitsap residents, the results of which take 48 to 72 hours to return.
KPHD originally reported Tuesday that three county residents were being tested for the virus, that number jumped to six on wednesday and 10 as of 11 a.m. Thursday. Pending tests only include tests submitted to the state public health lab in Shoreline. The health district is not involved in facilitating testing at the University of Washington.
Testing for individuals was requested by health care providers and coordinated by KPHD and the Washington State Department of Health. Kitsap Public Health will update its website at 11 a.m. each day with the number of pending tests and any confirmed cases in the county.
In Washington, COVID-19 testing is only being done at the state public health lab in Shoreline and at the University of Washington. Because testing capacity is limited, not everyone who has COVID-19 symptoms will be tested, according to KPHD.