VANCOUVER, Wash. — The tennis courts at a Vancouver High School were getting some use on Wednesday, showing that despite the coronavirus pandemic, parts of life continue as long as people are playing it safe.
That's about all Clark County Health Officer Dr. Alan Melnick can ask.
"Those social distancing measures and maintaining them… now is not the time to quit doing them is what I’m saying," said Melnick.
The county's top doctor is frustrated by an ongoing shortage of supplies. He says there are still not enough swabs to perform coronavirus tests. And not enough PPE.
"We still have a long way to go on this, our health care partners are still short on personal protective equipment including masks, gowns, gloves, everything else," said Melnick.
Clark County has tested 1,616 people. Of those, 190 have come back positive for the virus. The county has recorded 13 COVID-19 deaths, with two of them added to the list on Tuesday.
Twenty-one people with COVID-19 are currently hospitalized. Eight of them are in intensive care units. Patients are being treated at the county's two main hospitals: Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, and Peachealth Southwest Medical Center.
On this sunny day neighbors are out, but not gathered together. Meanwhile, a new model from the University of Washington suggests the state just passed its peak for coronavirus cases earlier than expected. Melnick is cautiously optimistic.
"It gives me some optimism; I'm not hanging my hat on that. The reason I’m saying that, is even if it is true, it is based on the stringent measures we have in place, the social distancing piece. We need to continue that."
Melnick added that more testing is coming. And they will focus it on the most at risk: those in long term care facilities, detention centers, health care workers, and the homeless.
The latest COVID-19 information for Clark County can be found at the health department's website.