Kitsap Sees Small Uptick in COVID Cases

The Kitsap Public Health District is reporting a slight increase in positive tests for COVID-19 in June. After seeing a total of just nine new cases in May, the county already has 9 new confirmed infections as of June 8, bringing the Kitsap total to 172 since the onset of the outbreak.These numbers are down significantly from March (86 cases) and April (67 cases).Most of the cases have been concentrated in the Bremerton area (55). Bainbridge still has only 12 confirmed instances of infection.The majority of the county's confirmed infections are in the 50 to 49 age group (43 cases), followed by the 40 to 49 age group (31 cases).The June increase coincides with the reopening of nonessential businesses in Kitsap, which was permitted after the county moved into Phase 2 of Governor Inslee's phased reopening of the state.Although the county has shown an increase, the percentage of confirmed cases is still quite small, just 2 percent of the 8,920 tests performed. Nevertheless, experts believe the actual number of cases is significantly higher since many people who likely had COVID-19 were never tested.