Eight months into the coronavirus pandemic and cases continues to multiply around the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since Jan. 21, the United States has reported 9,268,818 cases as of Nov. 3. Even Clay County has more positives, despite months of lower rates.
On Nov. 2, the Clay County Health Department reported 290 positive COVID cases from 2,553 unduplicated tests on their social media update. Of those, 30 were active positive cases, 260 had recovered and there had been three confirmed fatalities. Meanwhile, there are 151 pending tests.
Clay County Health Department Nursing Supervisor Clarissa Rogers explained the different tests, saying the CDC considers the PCR test as the “gold standard for clinical diagnosis.”
PCR stands for Polymerase Chain Reaction, which is a molecular test. “A PCR test looks at the virus’s genetic material, whereas the Rapid test detects specific proteins on the surface of the virus,” she said. “Per the CDC, ‘The clinical performance of rapid antigen diagnostic tests largely depends on the circumstances in which they are used. Rapid antigen tests perform best when the person is tested in the early stages of infection with SARS-CoV-2 when viral load is generally highest. They also may be informative in diagnostic testing situations in which the person has a known exposure to a confirmed case of COVID-19. Rapid antigen tests can be used for screening testing in high-risk congregate settings in which repeat testing could quickly identify persons with a SARS-CoV-2 infection to inform infection prevention and control measures, thus preventing transmission. In this case, there may be value in providing immediate results with antigen tests even though they may have lower sensitivity than RT-PCR tests, especially in settings where a rapid turnaround time is required.’”
Rogers said state guidance recommends confirming results with a PCR test for anyone who has had known exposure to the virus, or anyone who is symptomatic with known exposure, but had a negative rapid test. “It may be necessary to confirm a rapid antigen test result with a PCR, especially if the result of the antigen test is inconsistent with the clinical context of the exam,” she said. “Any time you have questions about COVID testing, contact your local health department for guidance.” Anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should be tested immediately. “If you do not have symptoms, you should wait at least six days after your last known exposure to COVID-19 before you get tested,” she said.
Along with close contacts of known positive cases, people with higher risks of exposure or increased risk of severe disease should be tested if they believe they may have been exposed, regardless of whether they have symptoms. Other CDC testing guidelines include people working or living in high risk settings such as long-term care, homeless shelter, detention center or farmworker camps.
Anyone who has attended a rally, protest or other large gathering could have exposed others or could have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. In addition, members of historically marginalized populations who have disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 may also be at increased risk.
Community testing best practices for these populations involve testing essential and frontline workers, such as grocery store workers, processing plant employees, healthcare workers, first responders, construction workers and childcare workers.
Rogers added, “Our schools are doing a fantastic job keeping the safety of our kids as a priority on a daily basis. School nurses Jamie Thomas and Joanna Atkisson are an incredible team and it's a pleasure working with them.” Clay County Schools Superintendent Dale Cole gave the schools’ statistics and expressed thanks to the health department. “The numbers of staff and students quarantined have steadily risen in CCS this fall, reaching their highest point during the last week of October,” he said. “However, almost all of these quarantines were a result of students and/ or parents attending events outside of the schools and being exposed to the virus. Our school nurses and Clay County Health Department have relentlessly pursued contact tracing and exposure information to mitigate virus positives and we thank them for this work. I think a direct result of that work is the small numbers of actual positives we have documented among staff and students. Quarantining is certainly not fun for anyone, but it is necessary for the safety of the rest. Our goal is to keep our schools as safe and as open to face to face instruction as possible, so this unpopular work is necessary. Our data shows that students who attend face to face for even just two days a week learn much more on average than those that do not attend. Thankfully, our numbers declined this week and we hope that trend will continue.”
County Manager Debbie Mauney agrees. “The county has worked diligently from the beginning of COVID to keep our employees and the public safe from possible COVID exposure. We have installed glass windows in county buildings, installed mobile hand sanitizers, signage, purchased sprayers that kill bacteria and the virus,” she said. “The Board of Commissioners made the decision at the beginning of the epidemic to allow employees to have two weeks of paid leave should they have COVID or possible exposure to COVID. Many employees have been in quarantine and have utilized this time. The health department has done an excellent job in working with department heads on quarantine, tracing and limiting exposure and guidance on policies. The county has been fortunate we have been able to secure masks and hand sanitizer that is available for all employees. County employees have an option to wear masks, but first responders such as EMS, public health nurses, DSS social workers all wear protective gear when having face to face with clients.”
Rogers ended by sharing tips to reduce COVID spread which include following the three W’s: Wear, Wash and Wait. “Wear your mask when social distancing isn’t achievable, wash your hands and avoid touching your face/ nose/mouth and maintain your social distancing of six feet apart,” she added. “Although these are priority prevention efforts, individuals may still question, what else can be done to prevent the spread?”
Other measures include:
• Avoid large social gatherings, especially in poorly ventilated areas or where social distancing is not maintainable.
• Clean frequently touched surfaces like phone screens, door handles and faucets.
• Avoid unnecessary travel.
• If you are sick, stay home.
• Contact your health care provider or health department for guidance.
• Have a plan in case you get sick.
• Stay informed about COVID.
Current COVID information may be found at: www.cdc.gov and www.ncdhhs.gov. Call the Clay County Health Department at (828) 389-8052.