MOSES LAKE — Grant County Health District is warning people who attended events at the Quincy Senior Center in mid-February or the Quincy High School production of “Mary Poppins” on Feb. 21 that they may have been exposed to the Wuhan coronavirus, or COVID-19.

“Monitor yourself for signs of illness such as fever, cough or other respiratory symptoms for 14 days from the last date of possible exposure,” read a Health District advisory posted at the Quincy Public Library late Friday. The health district also posted the announcement on its Facebook page.

The health district is concerned that people who attended the following events at the Quincy Senior Center — the Feb. 13 Valentine’s Day Dance, lunch on Feb. 14 and 21, line dancing on Feb. 17 and 24, SAIL classes on Feb. 18 and 20, lunch and movie night on Feb. 25, and dinners on Feb. 27 and 28 — may have been exposed to the coronavirus.

One COVID-19 case has been confirmed in a Grant County resident, an elderly patient who was in isolation and being treated at Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee.

Individuals concerned they might be suffering from the symptoms of COVID-19 can contact the health district’s hotline — 509-766-7960 ext. 39 — or contact the Samaritan Hospital 24-hour nurse line directly at 509-764-3331.

According to the Washington State Department of Health, as of mid-Saturday, there were 102 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Washington state, nearly all of them in King and Snohomish counties. In addition, as of mid-Saturday, 16 people were reported to have died as a result of COVID-19 infections.

On Sunday afternoon, Grant County Health District announced that a Central Washington Hospital patient, a resident of Grant County who was previously confirmed to have COVID-19, had passed away. The district did not identify the patient.

“I will start this press release by stating our hearts are with the family, friends, and Central Washington Hospital staff,” stated Theresa Adkinson, health district administrator. “I speak on behalf of our staff, Health Officer, and Board of Health, we are so sorry for your loss.” The district stated that COVID-19 is in local communities and that most cases of it are mild to moderate.

According to Karen Potts, nursing director for Adams County Integrated Health Care Services in Othello, the University of Washington as well as at least two other private labs are now processing COVID-19 tests, in addition to the state testing lab and the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

This expansion of testing may be one reason the number of reported cases has jumped dramatically, she wrote in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald.

“The very first tests prior to state testing were all done at the CDC,” Potts explained. “The increased number of places to test, plus the fewer restrictions, increases the number of people getting tested. So it’s to be expected that we are seeing more people testing positive.”

However, Potts said she hopes the “worried well” won’t get in the way and slow down things so that those who truly do need to be tested for the virus can get the tests.

Potts said the Washington Public Health Laboratory is still only testing people who meet the CDC’s criteria — people showing symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath or who have come in contact with “a lab confirmed case” within 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms.

“Cases from the ‘other’ labs are called presumptive positive until confirmed by state testing. Once the state test verifies the positive result then it is counted in the state reported numbers,” Potts wrote.

Rachal Pinkerton contributed to this story.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected].