Seven additional Grant County COVID-19 cases identified

Adams County announces first case

MOSES LAKE — Grant County Health District officials have announced that seven additional cases of COVID-19 have been reported to the health district since its last update Friday. As of Saturday night there are 18 confirmed cases in Grant County.

In addition, Adams County has its first confirmed coronavirus case, according to a press release issued Saturday by the Adams County Health Department.

The Adams County Health Department “has been notified by Othello Community Hospital of the first laboratory confirmed positive test results for COVID-19,” the press release said. “The person is, and has been, at home in self-isolation for several days. (Health department) staff are working closely with this individual to identify and quarantine any close contacts. In addition staff are investigating three probable cases with links to the confirmed case.”

Of the seven new Grant County cases, five are in the Quincy area and two in Mattawa, according to the update issued Saturday night from the health district. About 137 people are still awaiting test results, the press release said.

Of the current cases, 12 are in Quincy, four in Mattawa. One person has tested positive in Ephrata, and one in Moses Lake. “Even though there has been significant spread in Quincy and Mattawa, there are pending tests from all communities and we should expect cases will be confirmed in other parts of the county,” the press release said.

“We have contacted hundreds of people connected to those 18 cases, as well as almost everyone who has been tested for COVID-19 from our county. We do this so that people who had close contact with suspected or confirmed cases can be told to ‘quarantine’ at home for 14 days,” it said.

Earlier Saturday GCHD officials suggested that people who are at high risk for complications from the virus stay at home. That includes people 60 years of age and older, people with underlying health conditions like heart disease, lung disease and diabetes, and people with compromised immune systems.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.