Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Jefferson County had four more confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, April 8, bringing the total number of cases to eight.
The Florida Department of Health in Jefferson County (FDOH-Jefferson) identified the four new cases of COVID-19 as a 37-year-old male, a 54-year-old female, a 58-year-old female and a 67-year-old male.
“All four cases are isolated and receiving the appropriate medical care,” said Pam Gilleland-Beck, operations manager for the FDOH-Jefferson. “None of these persons are receiving care in the hospital at this time.”
She said the FDOH-Jefferson will continue contact investigations and notify those individuals who would need to self-monitor for symptoms for a 14-day period.
“Contact investigations are a critical way for staff epidemiologists to track and prevent the spread of disease,” Gilleland-Beck said, adding that a total of 51 tests had been processed for Jefferson County from private and public labs.
“This includes 43 negative results and eight positive results,” she said. “There is one pending test not yet included in the 51 processed.”
Gilleland-Beck underscored that as more positive cases were expected to manifest in the coming days, it will be imperative that everyone continues to practice social distancing and remain at home other than for essential and necessary activities.
She further noted that the CDC’s updated recommendations now calling for people to wear cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures were difficult to maintain, such as in grocery stores and pharmacies and other areas of significant community-based transmission.
“It is critical to emphasize that maintaining six-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus,” Gilleland-Beck said. “CDC is additionally advising the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and to help people who may have the virus and not know it from transmitting it to others.”
The FDOH-Jefferson advises that cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or homemade from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.
“The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators,” the FDOH-Jefferson advisory states. “Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.”
Residents should also be aware of the COVID-19 symptoms, which can mirror such illnesses as influenza. The typical COVID-19 symptoms are said to include a fever of 100.4°F or higher, and a cough and/or shortness of breath within two to 14 days of exposure to the virus.
Approximately 80 percent of those affected with COVID-19 experience mild to moderate illness and make a complete recovery, according to health experts. Others, however, experience more severe illness. Especially vulnerable, according to health experts, are individuals who are 65 or older or who have underlying health conditions, compromised immune systems, or suffer from heart disease or diabetes.
Anyone who is experiencing the mentioned symptoms, or who has had contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, should call their health care provider before attempting an office visit, as appropriate steps must be taken to ensure that the disease is not further spread,
Anyone who does not have a health care provider or health insurance is asked to call the FDOH-Jefferson at (850) 342-0170 to determine if the person meets the criteria for testing.
The FDOH-Jefferson notes that many COVID-19 cases can be managed at home by treating the symptoms, and this is encouraged. However, anyone who develops worsening symptoms, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, or inability to drink fluids, should call 911 and advise the emergency responders of the symptoms, as the individual may need hospital treatment.