Dear Mitchell County Residents,
In the last 4 days Mitchell County has witnessed a significant increase of COVID-19 patients in our community. We currently have 9 active cases, giving Mitchell County a total of 13 positive cases identified since March. The Mitchell County Health Department is working to identify all close contacts and quarantine individuals as necessary. With that being said, we wanted to remind everyone that contact investigations take time to complete and the health department staff are working as quickly as possible to identify and notify all contacts.
If you are concerned you were a potential close contact of a COVID positive patient, meaning that you were within 6 feet for longer than 10 minutes, and you have not yet been notified by the health department, please quarantine in your home and monitor for symptoms. If you develop any symptoms, such as fever, headache, shortness of breath, body aches, loss of taste and smell, muscle aches, and so on please notify your physician.
The increase in positive cases being identified both throughout Kansas and in Mitchell County demonstrates how crucial it is to take necessary precautions to prevent exposure and spread of COVID-19. It is important to note, you may be contagious with COVID-19 and not actively have a temperature.
How can you protect yourself and others?
• Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, use hand sanitizer if hand washing is not an option.
• Avoid close contact and social distance when possible, at least 6 feet of distance.
• Use a cloth face cover / mask to cover your mouth and nose when around others.
• Cover coughs and sneezes.
• Clean and disinfect highly used surfaces often.
• Monitor your health daily, including temperature and symptoms of COVID-19.
If you develop symptoms of COVID-19, or are a potential close contact of someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19, please contact your health care provider prior to arriving at the facility. Please do not arrive at the clinic or the hospital prior to calling ahead. These actions will reduce the chance of exposure to our health care providers, and allow for the most efficient usage of our health care resources. We want to thank our community members for their continued diligence in preventing the spread of infection and patience as we move forward.
Cortney Murrow, Administrator
Mitchell County Health Department