16 Replies to "CORONAVIRUS: Wednesday 7/8 roundup"

• sam-c July 9, 2020 (9:04 am)

  I haven’t been paying close attention but how is testing working these days?  I saw in the Grillbird story, that the employee who tesed How and why are people getting tested if they don’t have symptoms?  I had symptoms back in very early March (after a late Feb routine physical at the doctor’s office).  Back then, even though I had some symptoms (trouble breathing, intermittent fever,  dizziness, etc), the doctor did not advise getting a test since they were in short supply, I didn’t have a sustained fever, nor felt crappy besides not being able to breathe – (much like if we had sustained forest fires nearby and poor air- it went on for about a month).  Are there enough tests now that you can go somewhere to get a test – ‘just cause you want to?’   Just curious as I haven’t been paying close attention to the testing availability or procedure- like do you need a doctor recommendation to go get a test, for example ?

  • R July 9, 2020 (10:37 am)

    http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/covid-19/covid-19-testing
    .
    I don’t know specifics about supplies, but you don’t need doctor’s notes or even insurance to get tested.I have a dry cough that I was 99.9% sure was a medication side effect, but given that I work at a restaurant, I got myself (and my partner) tested just in case. Made an appointment, drove-thru the old emissions testing place in sodo, had a nasal swab like the influenza test (a little painful, but not terrible), and had results in about 36hrs (negative, yay!). Easy-peasy.

  • JB July 9, 2020 (10:44 am)

    This was a few weeks ago after a lot of the protests, but I was able to get tested at a drive thru test site at the old emissions place in SODO. No appt, no doctor referral, and no symptoms. I drove up, gave some information, got tested, and had my results 24 hours later.

    • WSB July 9, 2020 (11:10 am)

      That location is operating Mondays-Saturdays; there’s also a weekly (Friday) drive-up testing site in West Seattle, on the SSC campus (we mention it in the nightly virus-news roundup every Thursday night). Also, Neighborcare is still doing testing in High Point.

  • HS July 9, 2020 (10:48 am)

    All your testing questions are answered on the WA DOH site: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/NovelCoronavirusOutbreak2020COVID19/TestingforCOVID19

  • AMD July 9, 2020 (10:53 am)

    Anyone who has been exposed can get a test.  It’s not as widespread as other countries that have checkpoints to test all workers, etc., but we do have enough tests now the criteria has loosened significantly.  https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/care/testing.aspx

    • sam-c July 9, 2020 (1:49 pm)

      Thank you for all the tips and info everyone!! Very helpful! I am sorry I didn’t google a little more.  I guess I didn’t realize that testing was as available as it is.  I was expecting free testing in drive thrus at every CVS across America, thanks to a particular person’s press conference.  And, since I hadn’t witnessed that sort of thing actually being implemented, I still thought testing was only on an as (urgently-) needed basis.(and looks like i accidentally deleted a portion of my comment above… just noting that the story mentioned that the Grillbird employee tested positive even though they didn’t have symptoms. I was just wondering about scenarios of getting testing if you didn’t feel sick)

  • J July 9, 2020 (11:01 am)

    Testing capacity has increased. It is recommended that anyone with symptoms get tested as soon as possible when symptoms arise and to self isolate right away. You can also get tested if you have concern about an exposure, but a person can be infected and test negative while the disease is still incubating. Incubation can generally be from 2-14 days, but often seems to be about 5 days. Every testing site has their own requirements, procedures, and availability. Some are first come first served, some take appointments, some only take doctor referrals, some are a combination. Here’s King County’s page… https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/care/testing/locations.aspx

• AMD July 9, 2020 (10:59 am)

  I clicked through the dashboard to see more local results.  It was striking to see that White Center, Auburn, Burien, Tukwila, etc. are lagging behind in testing and have sometimes double the rate of infections and hospitalizations (per capita comparisons) as the county average, while Bellevue, Mercer Island, etc. are testing more broadly and have lower per capita rates of infection and hospitalization.  It’s like a tale of two counties.  The disproportionate impact of COVID on poor, Black, and brown communities has been well documented and discussed already, but it seems like we’re failing at doing anything to correct it.

  • Inequalities July 9, 2020 (12:11 pm)

    It has taken hundreds of years to create these inequalities. The pandemic response has made inequalities worse, and more apparent. Look at which communities are full of “essential” workers versus who has the money. This is not something that can be solved overnight. Historically, even mass revolutions have a poor track record for solving wealth disparities. Many essential people will die prematurely this year. If you can think of a way to improve the structure of our nation, or the health of our people, please make your recommendations known.

• ACG July 9, 2020 (1:24 pm)

  Is there any data with the positive cases that indicate what percentage of them were in asymptotic vs symptomatic individuals?  I didn’t see any data pertaining to that on the tracking websites. Maybe that data doesn’t exist, but I’m curious to see if by chance it does. 

  • J July 9, 2020 (2:49 pm)

    This article isn’t about asymptomatics, instead it’s about the death rates rising again. I thought Smitty might be interested. You might be interested also, if you were asking that question with the premise that this disease is not as serious as some people say it is. This disease is still serious, and deadly, and injurious, even if the range of disease that people could experience is vast. Asymptotic cases are a huge problem in controlling transmission. So far antibody testing has failed to clear up rates of asymptotic cases, as antibodies seem to be more fleeting than was originally hoped. This really is our zombie apocalypse. https://apple.news/ARtq2ScmTRUmuUtexB74DzQ

    • ACG July 9, 2020 (4:06 pm)

      I absolutely was NOT implying that in my question. Thanks for misreading.  I was thinking more along the lines of how many people out there are asymptomatic and serving us food at restaurants, working in the professional offices we visit (medical and dental), retail, driving the Metro buses, or just being that damn person who won’t wear a mask and is cursing everyone out because of it. Also thinking of the folks who may have been exposed, are asymptomatic, and wondering if they should bother to get tested.  I’d like to know what percentage of asymptomatic people that this thing is lurking. THAT is why I was asking. Have a nice day. 

      • J July 9, 2020 (6:11 pm)

        ACG, Apologies. I’m sorry if you were offended by my misreading. It is difficult to read unspoken motivations in short blog comments, and so many people seem to have dangerous, and sometimes important, hidden agendas these days. Whether you have a good day or bad— stay safe and be well.

        • ACG July 9, 2020 (11:52 pm)

          No worries. I just didn’t want to be seen as Smitty’s death chart sidekick. ;-)

• anonyme July 9, 2020 (3:47 pm)

  Covid is just the beginning.  I know it’s too much for many to wrap their heads around, especially the deniers, but such diseases are directly related to climate change and environmental devastation, such as the huge fires in the Amazon and clearing of land globally.  As species that previously had little or no contact with humans are driven into their path, there will be more and more cross-species transmission of ‘new’ viruses.  Not to mention the ones trapped for millions of years in glacial ice that is now melting.  The tipping point is behind us.  Increasingly I nurture a fantasy of finding some remote and beautiful location to wait out my last few years.  Happy Thursday!

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