MAYVILLE – Due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in Chautauqua County, the health department has modified the way they are contract tracing those who become sick.
Chautauqua County joins New York State in making the adjustment, according to Health Director Christine Schuyler who issued a statement on Tuesday.
“You no longer should expect to receive a call from us, nor do you need to call us,” said Schuyler. “Please follow the general direction that we provide for isolation and quarantine and contact your healthcare provider for medical advice. If you are in need of isolation or quarantine documents, they are available on our website.”
She says the Health Department is adopting the CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, updated based on what is currently known about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus.
As such, officials say anyone, regardless of vaccination status, who receives a positive COVID-19 test result, either from a lab, pharmacy, medical office or an at-home test, is to self-isolate for 5 days and notify their household and close contacts. If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours) after 5 days, you can leave your house.
They go on to say you must continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others for five additional days. If your symptoms are not improving, or you have a fever, continue to stay home until fever resolves and symptoms improve.
Close contacts of someone who has tested positive may be asked to self-quarantine, especially if not fully vaccinated, monitor for COVID-19 symptoms, and seek a COVID-19 test three to five days after exposure, or sooner if symptoms develop. The most common COVID-19 symptoms include runny nose, congestion, sore throat, cough, fever or loss of taste or smell. However, COVID-19 can cause any viral/flu-like symptoms.
If you are not vaccinated or are more than six months out from your second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or more than 2 months out from your J&J vaccine and not yet boosted, you are to quarantine for 5 days followed by strict mask use for an additional 5 days. If a 5-day quarantine is not feasible, it is imperative that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure.
If you have received your booster shot, you do not need to quarantine, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure.
For all those exposed, best practice would also include a test for SARS-CoV-2 at day 5 after exposure.
Persons in need of a County-issued isolation or quarantine order for employment or school can print and complete an attestation form, located at chqgov.com. Residents can also report their positive COVID-19 at-home test result on the site.
Can the contact tracers be repositioned into helping enforce the mask mandate to stop the spread? Can we use the ARPA millions to purchase n95 masks to hand out free?