The Steuben County Public Health Department received notification that two Steuben County residents tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the total to 348 confirmed cases, 16 of which are currently active. The individuals are residents of the:
· Town of Campbell
· Town of Corning
The individuals are isolated and being monitored by the County Health Department. Public Health staff investigated and identified close contacts of the confirmed cases and exposure risks. All those known to have direct contact with the individuals have been notified.
Per CDC and New York State Department of Health guidance, information is collected beginning 48 hours prior to symptom onset or date of test if asymptomatic through the day of the positive test result to identify any potential exposure risks. The investigations indicate one of the individuals is linked with a previously reported positive and was already quarantined; the other reported visiting the follow locations within the investigation timeframe:
· 9/14/20 Afternoon – Wegmans in Corning
“We’re concerned that people may be starting to relax their prevention efforts in their daily lives,” said Public Health Director, Darlene Smith. “We are facing a pandemic, and pandemics don’t often go away in a few months. In August, Steuben County had a total of 20 cases. Halfway through September we already have 21 cases. Masks, social distancing, and limiting gathering size are the best steps that can be taken to slow the spread and reverse the upward trend we’re seeing.”
All residents should continue to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills or repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell and contact their healthcare provider for instructions if feeling ill.
For the latest Steuben County updates, visit Steuben County’s website at www.steubencony.org or social media pages: www.facebook.com/SCNYPublicHealth and www.instagram.com/SteubenPublicHealth.
