Forty-nine individuals tested positive for COVID-19 today, raising Whitman County’s total to 261 cases. 

Of the new patients, seven females and one male are aged 1-19 years, according to a press release from the Whitman County Emergency Operations Center. Forty patients are aged 20-39 years; 17 are females and 23 are males. Another patient is male aged 40-59 years. All patients are stable and self-isolating. 

The new patients are primarily individuals who have been socializing in groups greater than 10 people, said Troy Henderson, director of Whitman County Public Health. 

There have been multiple large gatherings in Pullman, he said. There are not any specific areas, but gatherings have been reported in off-campus residential areas. 

“You can walk through the off-campus housing areas tonight after 9 o’clock, and I’m sure you’ll see several,” Henderson said. “At what point do some young adults start making better decisions.” 

It takes about three to five days for an individual to begin experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, he said. When individuals test positive, it is the result of an interaction they had with someone days before. 

“If you’ve been in a large gathering with college-age students in the last week or so, there’s an extremely high probability that you’ve been exposed to COVID-19,” he said. 

Individuals can get tested or be referred for testing at Pullman Regional Hospital, Palouse Medical and WSU’s Cougar Health Services, Henderson said. 

“It is important folks wear their masks, social distance, wash their hands [and] get the flu vaccination if they’re able to,” he said.