Dubuque Times

City of Dubuque recently issued the following announcement.

Second Case of COVID-19 Confirmed in Dubuque County

 

Saturday, March 21, 2020 -- For Immediate Release 

According to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), a second case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been confirmed in Dubuque County.

“Like the rest of the state, we expect to have more cases confirmed in the coming days and weeks,” said Dubuque County Public Health Department Executive Director Patrice Lambert.  “We urge everyone to practice social distancing and to limit any outings or interactions to essential needs. This is the only way we will limit the community spread of the virus.”  

For confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Dubuque County, Dubuque Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) nurses will conduct contact tracing, which means working with new cases to identify people with whom they were in contact, according to the IDPH’s definition of contact.    

Approximately 80 percent of Iowans infected with COVID-19 will experience only a mild to moderate illness. Most mildly ill Iowans do not need to go to their healthcare provider or be tested to confirm they have COVID-19. The Dubuque County Public Health Incident Management Team recommends people with mild, cold-like symptoms who think they have or were POTENTIALLY exposed to someone with COVID-19 to stay home and self-quarantine.

As more tests are conducted and cases are confirmed across the country and locally, people exhibiting mild symptoms of COVID-19 will be assumed to have the virus and will not be tested.  Tests will be reserved for individuals with serious symptoms and those in at-risk groups with underlying health conditions.  Sick Iowans must stay home and isolate themselves from others in their house. Stay home and isolate from others in the house until: 

• You have had no fever for at least 72 hours (that is three full days of no fever without the use of medicine that reduces fevers) AND 
• other symptoms have improved (for example, when your cough or shortness of breath have improved) AND 
• at least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared. 

If you think you may need healthcare, call your provider first. Your provider can assess whether you need to be seen in the office or if you can recover at home. There may also be options for you to talk to a medical provider from home using technology.

 

Dubuque County Public Health Executive Director Patrice Lambert urges residents to take these actions to help limit the spread of the virus: 

• Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds each time. 
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or elbow/upper arm. 
• Stay home when ill. 
• Practice social distancing by maintaining six feet of space from others. 
• Isolate yourself if you have respiratory symptoms  

For up-to-date information on COVID-19, visit the IDPH website at  https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus and follow the IDPH on Facebook at @IowaDepartmentOfPublicHealth and on Twitter at @IAPublicHealth.

 

The Dubuque County Public Health Incident Management Team is posting frequent updates at https://dubuquecounty.org/health-department/covid-19/.     

Original source: https://www.cityofdubuque.org/CivicSend/ViewMessage/message/107291