As the Snohomish Health District announced Monday that a fourth county resident has been diagnosed with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, Swedish Edmonds Hospital says it is prepared to treat infected patients.

So far no coronavirus patients have been sent to the Swedish Edmonds, but the hospital “will work with our partners in public health to provide treatment,” said Swedish spokesperson Tiffany Moss.

According to Moss, if Swedish Edmonds receives a patient who has coronavirus symptoms and who has traveled to an area affected by the outbreak, the hospital will follow Centers for Disease Control recommendations. These include isolating the patient, providing caregivers and patients with personal protective equipment, placing restrictions on visitors, and beginning infection control measures.

“Safety is our top priority,” Moss said. “We are monitoring this issue closely and taking necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our patients, caregivers, visitors and community.”

According to the Snohomish Health District, the latest person to have died from COVID-19 is a Snohomish County man. Medical investigators have not yet released his name or hometown, stating only that he was in his 40s and had underlying health conditions. He is one of four Snohomish County residents who were confirmed to have contracted the illness. The health district reported the newest case is a woman in her 40s, who is now hospitalized and also has underlying health conditions. The third victim — identified last week — is a Jackson High School student who is recovering at home. The remaining case was a Snohomish County man diagnosed in January, who has since made a full recovery.

Swedish Edmonds and the Snohomish County Health District outlined the following ways to protect against the coronavirus:

• Sanitize your hands often for at least 20 seconds each time. Alcohol gel works well in most situations (like after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose), but hand washing with soap and water should be performed after going to the bathroom, before eating, or when your hands are visibly soiled.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. (Putting a tissue on a table contaminates the surface of the table with germs.)
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Routinely disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, using a cleaning spray or wipe.
• Avoid travel to high-risk countries. Non-essential travel is discouraged to or through any of the countries for which the CDC has issued a level 2 or 3 travel health notice.

If you feel sick

• Stay home if you believe you have been exposed to the virus, even if you are not showing any symptoms.
• If you have traveled to a country on the CDC list of level 2 or 3 travel health notices and feel ill, call your health care provider.
• Stay home when you are sick, especially if you have respiratory illness symptoms. At the present time, these symptoms are more likely due to influenza or other respiratory viruses than to a COVID-19 infection. Whether you have seasonal flu, the common cold, or something else, it’s important you stay away from others when sick.
• Monitor yourself for fever, coughing and shortness of breath.

For updates on the COVID-19 outbreak, visit the Snohomish Health District’s website.

— By Bob Throndsen