Spokane County’s screening of patients for coronavirus at the county fairgrounds is on hold because of bad weather on Monday.
"We saw that the tent was blown over and so, because of those concerns, we are re-identifying or looking for a new spot for that tent. So until further notice, it looks like tent is going to be closed for screening at least until Wednesday. It’s our hope that we can have it up, best, by Thursday," said Spokane County Health Officer Bob Lutz.
He says about people in about 300 cars had their symptoms checked yesterday [Monday]. About a third of them had a sample taken for the coronavirus test.
As of this morning, Spokane County had 143 confirmed cases. That number has increased rapidly during the last week or so. Lutz attributes that to the fact that more people are getting tested.
There are new tests coming out on the market for those who aren’t able to be tested at their doctors’ offices or at a mobile facility. Lutz warned people to be careful when shopping for a test.
“There is a fast-track approval process by the FDA, but even this morning I was contacted by two vendors who were both saying, ‘Dr. Lutz, I have this new test available. Can I make it available to you?’ Neither acknowledged, however, to being FDA approved. So there’s a great concern about bringing tests into the community that haven’t been verified and validated," he said.
Lutz warned restaurants about allowing customers to linger in their facilities as they wait to take out food. He encouraged them to make hand sanitizer or other cleaning products available for people who patronize their establishments.