Nearly 40 percent of Clark County’s COVID-19 cases are connected to health care workers or long-term care facilities.
Clark County Public Health confirmed 10 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday morning and no new deaths, which places the county at 306 confirmed cases and 16 deaths.
According to Public Health, 65 health care workers in Clark County have tested positive for COVID-19. Public Health spokeswoman Marissa Armstrong said in an email that the 65 confirmed cases did not necessarily contract the virus at work. Some cases might have been infected outside of work.
There are another 50 confirmed cases associated with long-term care facilities in Clark County, split across staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities, adult family homes and assisted/independent living facilities.
That means that 115 of the county’s 306 confirmed cases — about 38 percent — are health care workers or staff or residents at long-term care facilities.
Clark County Public Health Officer Dr. Alan Melnick said that statistic is likely a combination of prioritized testing for those two groups and of them having an increased risk for contracting the virus, since it’s more present in their workplace or living situation.
Since older populations are more susceptible to severe complications from COVID-19, testing for staff and residents at long-term care facilities is prioritized. Testing for health care workers is prioritized, so they can know when they are sick, and can quarantine to stop from spreading the virus to patients.
At least 2,957 people have been tested in Clark County, but that number does not reflect negative test results from rapid testing, which is now available in Clark County. The number of people tested is higher in Clark County, according to Public Health.
Clark County has 21 people hospitalized for the virus, and five people in an intensive care unit, according to the latest data available.
As of Monday, there were at least 543 people in Washington hospitalized for COVID-19 at 87 hospitals, according to the state Department of Health. At least 161 patients were in an intensive care unit for the virus.
For more information, visit Clark County’s novel coronavirus webpage, or the state Department of Health’s webpage.
