COVID-19 and the Current Cedar Valley Healthcare Climate Town Hall Meeting
posted on Thursday, November 19, 2020 in The Cedar Valley Community
Grow Cedar Valley hosted a town hall meeting with healthcare leaders in the Cedar Valley. The topic is COVID-19 and the current healthcare climate in our community.
The center of the screen is blurred to protect personal contact information.
Inquiries received and answered during the town hall meeting:
Question: My father contracted the virus, I was with him when he was diagnosed. I felt fine, but between family, friends, and co-workers I felt I had to get the test done. I was negative. My Dad's live-in partner has never felt bad and she asked the doctor if she should get tested, Dr. said no only if you feel symptoms. So my question is should you go get tested no matter what if you have been that close to an infected person or just when you feel symptoms?
Black Hawk County Health Department: Our general recommendation is that when you have been identified as a close contact or are having symptoms that you contact your health care provider about being tested.
Question: If you have an employee with known exposure to a positive case should we have them quarantine?
Black Hawk County Health Department: Yes everyone that is identified as a close contact (within 6ft for 15 or more consecutive minutes) of a person who tested positive should quarantine for 14 days after their last contact with the person who tested positive.
Question: After being so close and testing negative does that make us a-symptomatic and should we quarantine ourselves for two weeks?
Black Hawk County Health Department: People should quarantine for 14 days after close contact with a positive case (6ft for 15 or more consecutive minutes), and should quarantine for the full 14 days even if they test negative. A person is considered asymptomatic if they test positive and do not have symptoms. people who test negative are not considered infected.
Question: How long should you quarantine? I have heard 10 days from your 1st symptom and 7 days after you no longer have a symptom. Is the loss of taste & smell considered a symptom?
Black Hawk County Health Department: Isolation and Quarantine are two terms that are used interchangeably with COVID-19 but mean different things. Isolation means the person is infected and needs to stay away from others to avoid spreading the illness. Quarantine means that a person has been exposed to the illness and needs to stay away from others in case they are infected so they do not spread the illness to others.
Black Hawk County Health Department: The isolation recommendations are for those who test positive or have COVID-19 symptoms and are not tested or evaluated by their health care provider. Those in isolation should stay home for at least 10 days from the start of their symptoms, and they are fever-free for 24 hours, and their other symptoms are improving. If they are not having symptoms the isolation is 10 days from the day they were tested.
Black Hawk County Health Department: Quarantine is for people who are identified as close contact with a person who tested positive. People in quarantine need to stay home for 14 days from their last close contact with the person who tested positive.
Question: Should we plan to still be practicing physical distancing and wearing masks for Fall 2021?
Black Hawk County Health Department: With the uncertainty around how long the pandemic will continue it is difficult to provide concrete guidance for the next academic year, but at this time our recommendation would be to plan to continue measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 until a sustained break in the transmission is seen.
View further COVID-19 Information