****FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE****
April 22, 2020
Cattaraugus County Health Department was notified of its thirty-first confirmed case of COVID-19. The reporting laboratory was Wadsworth Center - Biggs Laboratory, Albany, NY.
A female resident who resides in the northeastern part of the county. She has no significant travel history, who was a close contact of a known positive COVID-19 person. She developed shortness of breath and was tested by the department on April 20th because she was symptomatic and a direct contact. The results of her test on April 21st indicated that she was positive for COVID-19.
The patient is resting at home and now under quarantine with her family. She and her family will be assessed for any medical support that we can provide and we will monitor their symptoms closely.
The department has begun a thorough contact tracing investigation for those individuals that they have been in contact with and the places that they visited.
We continue to ask our residents to hunker down, and avoid any non-essential travel, especially to areas where there is community wide spread of COVID-19 otherwise, you place your family and other Cattaraugus County residents at risk. If travel is necessary, please wear a homemade cloth face mask while in public and maintain social distancing, at least 6 feet away from other people.
We would like to reiterate that if any resident experience fever, cough, shortness of breath or whole body aches they should contact their health care provider (avoid going directly to an Urgent Care facility, or the Emergency Room before calling).
Finally, wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. This is especially important after using the bathroom, coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.
If soap and water is not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains a minimum of 60% alcohol.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, especially with unwashed hands.
Disinfect commonly touched surfaces with a cleaner that is approved by the EPA against COVID-19.
Please stay home if you are sick (at least 24 hours after fever ends.)
For questions or concerns, please contact the Cattaraugus County Health Department at 716-373-8050.
For continued updates visit us at CattCo.org/Coronavirus.
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