Patient tested for coronavirus at Harborview released

SEATTLE — A patient put in isolation Wednesday and being tested for possible coronavirus at Harborview Medical Center was released Thursday, a hospital spokesperson said.

Officials said that the person will be monitored at home by Public Health–Seattle & King County as officials await test results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It was Wednesday when the patient walked into the emergency room complaining of respiratory symptoms, sources told KIRO 7.

“We are working in collaboration with Public Health–Seattle & King County, and are awaiting coronavirus test results from the CDC,” said Susan Gregg, Harborview’s director of media relations.

Gregg told KIRO7 she was unaware of the timeline the CDC typically uses to confirm test results. Many of the labs the CDC uses for infectious diseases are in Atlanta.

Meanwhile, at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, KIRO 7 has seen entire planeloads of passengers wearing surgical masks or respirators, which is an increasingly common sight.

But the CDC and doctors warn that wearing a mask or a respirator is not effective in preventing infection from coronavirus or even the flu because they say most people actually get sick when they touch surfaces and then transfer a virus to their eyes or nose after touching their face.

“Wearing a mask when you don’t have any symptoms is not really that helpful,“ said Dr. Frank Esper, an infectious disease specialist.

"What is helpful, though, is washing your hands,” he said.

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