OKANOGAN – Okanogan County Public Health is aware that members of the community have received hoax notices regarding novel Coronavirus in our area. Those notices are false but have triggered rumors on social media.

There are no confirmed cases of novel Coronavirus in Okanogan County, nor are there any persons under investigation or being monitored by Okanogan County Public Health. OCPH’s website and social media will be updated if the situation changes and local healthcare providers will be notified.

Scam artists are using the novel Coronavirus to trick people into sharing their personal information in a phishing attack. One message purports to be from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Public Health says you can learn more about these attacks and how to protect yourself from them here: https://heimdalsecurity.com/blog/security-alert-corona-virus-phishing/ During outbreaks like novel Coronavirus, rumors often spread faster than the actual illness. Accurate and up-to-date information on novel Coronavirus in Washington State and the US can be found at https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.