OBSERVER Staff Report

Christine Schuyler, Public Health Director, reported Thursday that Chautauqua County still has three confirmed cases of COVID-19.

“There were no new positive tests reported today,” Schuyler said. “Although we cannot be aware of the exact number of tests awaiting results because tests are being performed at a variety of sites, we are able to report that, to date, we have received 53 negative lab reports. The large number of negative results is a positive sign that community mitigation strategies are working. Your efforts are paying off! Keep practicing social distancing and everyday precautions to decrease the spread of illness.”

Public health nurses conduct epidemiologic investigations per public health standards and in conjunction with the state Health Department epidemiologists to determine who may have been exposed to an individual confirmed by lab testing to have COVID-19.

In all three of the confirmed cases in Chautauqua County to date, the individual and all household contacts were identified and ordered in mandatory quarantine and all proximal contacts were identified and ordered into precautionary quarantine. If a broader potential exposure would have been identified, it would have been publicized, the county noted.

Isolation and quarantine orders by the Public Health Director are as follows:

¯ Mandatory Quarantine, confirmed positive COVID-19 case or a household contact of a confirmed positive COVID-19 case — 11.

¯ Precautionary Quarantine, travel history to CDC level 3 country or proximal contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19 — 25.

¯ Mandatory Isolation, symptomatic of COVID-19 and pending COVID-19 lab test — 46.

Nursing homes, long-term care facilities, local hospitals, the federally qualified health center, and local physician practices in Chautauqua County are active partners and have been taking steps to assess and improve their preparedness for responding to COVID-19.

These critically important providers of healthcare services need your help. It is imperative that everyone abide by their visitation restrictions. Avoid visiting those most at risk; call instead. The ONLY way we can protect our community and healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed with illness as a result of the novel coronavirus is to avoid being exposed to the virus. People at high-risk for severe illness include people aged 65 years and older; in a nursing home or long-term care facility; with high risk conditions – diabetes, chronic heart /lung / renal disease; who are immunocompromised; who are pregnant.

Individuals with questions or concerns regarding Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) or travel related questions are encouraged to call the New York State Department of Health Coronavirus Hotline 24/7 at 1-888-364-3065. For locally-specific information, County residents may also contact the Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services at 1-866-604-6789 during normal business hours.