Bothell Patient Tests Negative For Coronavirus

BOTHELL, WA — The Snohomish Health District confirmed Friday that a person screened for the new coronavirus this week tested negative for the illness.

The Northshore School District closed Bothell High School out of an "abundance of caution" Thursday and Friday after officials learned a staffer's family member had fallen ill after returning from international travel.

The staff member and their relative were under self-quarantine at home while they awaited test results from the sick person.

The Seattle Times reports state health officials began processing tests for COVID-19 at a public health laboratory in Shoreline Friday, in an effort to speed up the screening process. According to the Times, the state had previously sent samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

While no new cases of the virus have been confirmed in Washington since a Snohomish County diagnosis in January, federal, state and local health officials are preparing for the likelihood that the illness could soon begin to spread more widely.

Learn more about the COVID-19 response in our state on the Department of Health website.