Empty Shelves, School Closures Show Coronavirus Testing Concerns in WA State

Vice President Mike Pence will be visiting Washington State to meet with Governor (and former 2020 Presidential Candidate) Jay Inslee to discuss the Coronavirus response. President Donald Trump has appointed Vice President Pence to head the response efforts, and Washington is where the first U.S. Coronavirus case and death took place.

At the time of this writing, there have been eleven deaths linked to Coronavirus in the United States, ten of which have taken place in Washington State. 

Take this to heart, as this won’t be limited to Washington for very long.

The very first Coronavirus case was in my town of Everett, WA. That patient recovered, but the virus soon found its way into an assisted living home in Kirkland, WA, which is where most of the Washington deaths have occurred.

The Northshore School District is closing for two weeks and transitioning to virtual classrooms for that time.

The popular technical school, Lake Washington Institute of Technology is closed at least through the weekend after an instructor tested positive.

As Washington State is a mail-in ballot state, they are asking voters not to lick their envelopes, but instead to wet them with a sponge.

An employee of the Amazon Headquarters in Seattle has tested positive for Coranavirus, as well as an employee in the Seattle Facebook Office.

People are getting uneasy, and it’s showing at the grocery stores. Many stores are sold out of essentials, inconveniencing people making routine shopping trips. One Facebook user in Washington State took to Facebook highlighting empty shelves.

 

More troublesome is that the confirmed case numbers are actually very unreliable, and are likely much higher than what has been reported. One Twitter user in the Seattle area, who is concerned they are showing symptoms consistent with Coronavirus, has outlined how difficult it is to get tested.

With Coronavirus organically spreading in the region due to a 14 day symptom-free contagious period and testing eligibility still seemingly focused on international travel, the current reporting is grossly unreliable. Cases are still being treated as isolated, even though this is a clear indicator of regional spreading. 

It’s easy to get the virus, but difficult to get tested for it. The number of documented cases are very likely far below reality.

Pay attention to Washington. This is coming to your state soon.

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