Clark County COVID-19: Public Health urges residents to stay home for the Fourth

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The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Clark County grew by 40 today, with the county health department urging preventative measures including staying home on the Fourth of July.

Clark County Public Health’s latest update July 1 puts the total number of cases of confirmed COVID-19 at 883. Preliminary data from the department showed that June 30 had the highest number of cases verified since the outbreak began, with three of the five-highest days of verification happening in the past week.

Public Health’s update stated that 162 people had tested positive in the past eight days, compared to 164 in the first three weeks of June. Positive test rates had also increased, as data from Kaiser Permanente and the Vancouver Clinic show the rate had increased to nearly 3 percent of tests administered, the department said.

Due to the surge of new COVID-19 cases, Public Health urged county residents to stay home this Fourth of July.

“Clark County’s case numbers are going up. This is a dangerous time for gatherings,”  Clark County health officer and Public Health director Alan Melnick said in a release from the department.  “We cannot disregard physical distancing simply because it’s a holiday weekend.”



The release stated that 15 percent of cases from 72 completed interviews of those who have tested positive for COVID-19 “were most likely exposed at private social gatherings of one to 10 people,” according to preliminary data.

Public Health urged for weekend celebrations to be no more than five people from outside the household, the maximum number allowed for gatherings in Phase 2 of “Safe Start Washington,” which Clark County is currently in.

The release acknowledged that the recent increase in cases came after Clark County had submitted an application to move into Phase 3, the approval of which could be affected with the resurgent outbreak. As of the release Public Health had notified the state Department of Health of the new cases, adding it would provide an update on the application status when more information was available.