Clark County confirms 14 new coronavirus cases, capping week at 55Free

Clark County Public Health confirmed 14 COVID-19 cases and no new deaths Friday afternoon.

The county will end this week with 26 combined cases in two days, on Thursday and Friday. The county had three cases Wednesday, nine cases Tuesday and 17 on Monday.

Clark County has 685 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 28 deaths. There were 13 people hospitalized for the virus in Clark County, according to Public Health data from Thursday.

At least 12,094 people have been tested for the virus in Clark County.

The county has a rate of 16 newly diagnosed cases per 100,000 population over the last two weeks. The state says it would like counties to stay under 25 newly diagnosed cases per 100,000 population in order to be approved for Phase 3.

While non-violent protests have not yet been tied to increased virus transmission, Clark County Public Health Officer Dr. Alan Melnick is concerned about increased community transmission because of people not following physical distancing or wearing masks.

As Clark County continues to settle into Phase 2, more people can visit businesses and congregate with each other. Health officials recommend wearing masks when you are within 6 feet of other people, or are indoors in a public space.

“People are out and about now,” Melnick told The Columbian Tuesday. “I wish there were a more universal appreciation of physical distancing and mask-wearing. We want to get to the point where we’re opening up, but I would plead with people that those are things that keep the numbers down so we can move along.”

Health experts believe protests have not led to a spike in coronavirus cases because participants have largely worn masks, and the protests have generally been outdoors (where it’s harder to transmit the virus), according to New York Magazine. The age of protesters, who are mostly younger, might also be a factor.

Washington has 27,192 confirmed cases and 1,245 deaths.