– The Steuben County Public Health Department received notification that two Steuben County residents tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the total to 355 confirmed cases, 16 of which are currently active. The individuals are residents of the:
· Town of Prattsburgh
· Village of Bath
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 the individuals were contacts of positives from other counties, had been quarantined, and did not pose any public exposure risks within the investigation timeframe. One of the individuals is linked with a positive from the Lighthouse Baptist Church.
“Although there are fewer restrictions now than there were in March, considerations should still be made when gathering,” said Public Health Director, Darlene Smith. “If you are going to restaurants or bars, you must consider who you are going with, what their prevention practices have been, how many people will be there, and how close you will need to be to strangers. These questions are particularly important as cooler weather moves more activities indoors.”
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.
