In the News
2020 Inventor of the Year: Alex Greninger, M.D., Ph.D., and Keith Jerome, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Greninger and Dr. Jerome were named the 2020 UW Medicine Inventor of the Year for developing an early, reliable, diagnostic test for the coronavirus! Their work made it possible for UW Medicine to meet much of King County and Washington state’s need for rapid-turnaround COVID-19 testing.
Did you receive a postcard or letter from UW Virology about the WAVE Survey? Please respond!
The WAshington coronaVirus Exposure Survey (WAVES) is a survey to learn more about the spread of COVID-19 in Washington. About 8,000 people have been randomly selected to take part. If you receive a letter or postcard in the mail from UW Virology please respond! You can help our scientists and @WADeptHealth better understand how #COVID19 has impacted different communities across Washington state.
Virology Offering Monkeypox Testing
King County has seen 9 probable and confirmed cases of Monkeypox as of July 5, 2022. Healthcare providers can order UW Virology Monkeypox testing here.
Monkeypox is a rare viral illness that can begin with flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes followed by a rash on the face and body or with an isolated rash in the genital or groin area, sometimes without other symptoms. Monkeypox is spread through close, direct contact with someone who has the virus or items they have used.
People should be alert for the appearance of new rashes characterized by sores, bumps or fluid filled bumps and seek medical evaluation if they develop such a rash. Flu-like symptoms, such as swollen lymph nodes, fever, chills, headaches or muscle aches, exhaustion may occur before a rash or sores.
Most people recover in 2-4 weeks, but the disease can be serious, especially for immunocompromised people, children, and pregnant women.
Current King County case numbers can be found here.
UW Medicine, the Washington State Department of Health, and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation announced a new partnership to launch a study to determine the percentage of Washingtonians who have been infected with COVID-19. The antibody study will directly invite selected individuals to participate in order to gauge prevalence of COVID-19 in Washington state. Random sampling will ensure that all of Washington State is represented.
Please see our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.