Dear Mitchell County Residents,
Late yesterday afternoon the Mitchell County Health Department was notified of a confirmed positive COVID-19 patient. This individual has a known exposure outside of Mitchell County with no identified close contacts within our county. With schools restarting across Kansas, an increase of exposure, especially amongst college students, does have a high potential of occurring. We would like to remind everyone to take the necessary precautions to protect yourselves and others, while also remembering contact investigations take time to complete and the Mitchell County Health Department will work as quickly as possible to identify all known contacts when a positive case occurs.
With the increase of positive cases being identified throughout Kansas, it is crucial if you have been identified as a known contact of a confirmed positive COVID-19 patient to please quarantine at home. Additionally, if you or your family develops any symptoms of COVID-19 please isolate at home away from other individuals and notify the Mitchell County Health Department and your physician. Symptoms of COVID-19 include, but are not limited to, fever, headache, shortness of breath, body aches, loss of taste and smell, muscles aches, runny nose, congestion, and so on.
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.
• Avoid unnecessary travel when possible and plan ahead if traveling is unavoidable.
• Avoid mass gatherings or events, especially if social distancing will be difficult to maintain.
Reminder, please do not arrive at the clinic or hospital prior to calling ahead. These actions are crucial in reducing the chance of exposure to our health care providers, and allow for the most efficient usage of our health care resources. Together we can do our best to ensure the health and safety of our community, while giving our students the best opportunity for in-class learning. We want to thank our community members for their continued diligence in preventing the spread of infection and patience moving forward.
Cortney Murrow, Administrator
Mitchell County Health Department