****FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE****
May 15, 2020
Cattaraugus County Health Department was notified of its fiftieth confirmed case of COVID-19. The reporting laboratory was Wadsworth Center-Biggs Laboratory, Albany, NY. The department's active positive COVID-19 caseload is now fifteen, as there are now thirty-three residents who have recovered from COVID-19.
The latest case is a female resident who resides in the southwest corner of the county, who has no significant travel history, who was a contact of a known positive COVID-19 person, she was given a rapid COVID-19 test on May 6th which was negative. She later developed fever, dry cough, sore throat, and diarrhea, and was tested by the department on May 13th. Her test results on May 15th indicated that she was positive for COVID-19.
The department has begun a thorough contact tracing investigation for those individuals that they have been in contact with and the places that they have 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.)
Finally, in an effort to determine the prevalence of the virus in our community, any resident interested in getting a swab test can register for a test or call 716-938-9119 or 716-938-2265
For continued updates visit us at CattCo.org/Coronavirus.
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