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New COVID-19 cases in Skagit County continue to drop even as more county residents are again testing at the County’s Skagit Valley College public site, data from the Skagit Public Health show. The County reported 44 new cases in the Sept. 15-28 period, and 28 people tested positive the seven day period Sept. 22-28. There was not a spike of increased cases after Labor Day. While there are still fewer than 30 cases in La Conner’s 98257 zip code region, the Public Health map has been updated to Sept. 28, indicating that at least one additional case has been recorded.

Data through Sept. 27 from the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID-19 - risk assessment dashboard lists 27.1 per 100,000 population of newly diagnosed cases during the prior two weeks, with an average daily testing rate of 175.1 people per 100,000. The County is now in the low moderate risk category for transmission.

Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Leibrand noted that increased mask wearing is part of the dramatic drop in transmission of COVID-19 at the Sept. 22 County Board of Health meeting. He stressed continued mask wearing and social distancing are critical to safely open schools for children to attend in-person.