****FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE****
May 22, 2020
Cattaraugus County Health Department was notified of four additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 residents within Cattaraugus County. The department's active positive COVID-19 caseload is now nineteen as there are now thirty-eight residents who have recovered from COVID-19.
The fifty-sixth confirmed case is a female resident who resides in the northeast quadrant of the county, who is a health care worker that works with COVID-19 patients at a nursing home in Erie County. She developed fever, body aches, and loss of taste and smell. She was tested for COVID-19 on May 20th and her test results on May 21st indicated that she was positive for the virus.
The fifty-seventh, fifty-eighth and fifty-ninth confirmed cases are three female residents who are health care workers in a nursing home in Cattaraugus County. All three reside in the southeast quadrant of the county but denies mutual contacts except working at the same facility. They all report being asymptomatic (no cough, no fever, no body aches, etc.) and was tested for COVID-19 on May 18th as part of a recent requirement of all nursing home employees. Their test results on May 22nd indicated that they were positive for the virus.
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.
Share on: