COVID-19 Update - Nov. 12
Announcement for WHCC congregation:
As a church, we are doing all we can to keep each other safe and to avoid an outbreak of sickness, following and exceeding current state and local guidelines. There are some among us who are or have been sick. They have been diligent to avoid others by quarantining and letting us know.
The following is from a November 4th WLFI report:
“Tippecanoe County is reporting 128 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, November 4th. The county health department said more of the county's case numbers are coming from generalized community spread.
Tippecanoe County Health Officer Dr. Jeremy Adler said they are seeing less spread of the virus coming from one source, such as the Purdue Campus. He also said the county doesn't have any major clusters or super-spreader events that have happened. Generalized community spread means that people of all ages and in all parts of the county are spreading the disease at a fairly regular rate.
He is urging people not to get fed up with slowing the spread of coronavirus.
"’As case numbers begin to rise nationally, in the state and in the county, it is very important that we resist pandemic fatigue," said Dr. Jeremy Adler. "For those of you who have been wearing your face coverings and practicing social distancing, thank you. For those of you who haven't been doing such things, please strive to do better.’"
Many agencies and businesses are tightening the reigns on their Covid procedures due to the recent rise in cases locally. It is imperative we remain vigilant during these times and take this virus seriously, individually doing what we can to hinder its spread:
Wear a mask – current information and study shows that doing so helps curtail the spread of sickness
You have to wear a mask to the store, the bank, and other public buildings
Please also wear a mask to church
Socially distance – avoid face to face contact
Wash your hands often
Be proactive to ask others to keep their distance when they approach you
You can do so while still being kind 😊
As the holidays approach, prayerfully plan your celebrations.
Be wise, keep your groups small, stay well!
When You Can be Around Others After You Had or Likely Had COVID-19
+ I think or know I had COVID-19, and I had symptoms
You can be around others after:
- 10 days since symptoms first appeared and
- 24 hours with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and
- Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving*
*Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation
Most people do not require testing to decide when they can be around others; however, if your healthcare provider recommends testing, they will let you know when you can resume being around others based on your test results.
Note that these recommendations do not apply to persons with severe COVID-19 or with severely weakened immune systems (immunocompromised). These persons should follow the guidance below for “I was severely ill with COVID-19 or have a severely weakened immune system (immunocompromised) due to a health condition or medication. When can I be around others?”
+ I tested positive for COVID-19 but had no symptoms
If you continue to have no symptoms, you can be with others after 10 days have passed since you had a positive viral test for COVID-19. Most people do not require testing to decide when they can be around others; however, if your healthcare provider recommends testing, they will let you know when you can resume being around others based on your test results.
If you develop symptoms after testing positive, follow the guidance above for “I think or know I had COVID-19, and I had symptoms.”
+ I was severely ill with COVID-19 or have a severely weakened immune system (immunocompromised) due to a health condition or medication. When can I be around others?
People who are severely ill with COVID-19 might need to stay home longer than 10 days and up to 20 days after symptoms first appeared. Persons who are severely immunocompromised may require testing to determine when they can be around others. Talk to your healthcare provider for more information. If testing is available in your community, it may be recommended by your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider will let you know if you can resume being around other people based on the results of your testing.
Your doctor may work with an infectious disease expert or your local health department to determine whether testing will be necessary before you can be around others.
+ For Anyone Who Has Been Around a Person with COVID-19
Anyone who has had close contact with someone with COVID-19 should stay home for 14 days after their last exposure to that person. However, anyone who has had close contact with someone with COVID-19 and who meets the following criteria does NOT need to stay home.
- Has COVID-19 illness within the previous 3 months and
- Has recovered and
- Remains without COVID-19 symptoms (for example, cough, shortness of breath)
+ Confirmed and suspected cases of reinfection of the virus that causes COVID-19
Cases of reinfection of COVID-19 have been reported but are rare. In general, reinfection means a person was infected (got sick) once, recovered, and then later became infected again. Based on what we know from similar viruses, some reinfections are expected.
SOURCE: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/end-home-isolation.html
+ Definition of CLOSE CONTACT according to CDC
Close Contact
Someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period* starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to test specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.
*Individual exposures added together over a 24-hour period (e.g., three 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes). Data are limited, making it difficult to precisely define “close contact;” however, 15 cumulative minutes of exposure at a distance of 6 feet or less can be used as an operational definition for contact investigation. Factors to consider when defining close contact include proximity (closer distance likely increases exposure risk), the duration of exposure (longer exposure time likely increases exposure risk), whether the infected individual has symptoms (the period around onset of symptoms is associated with the highest levels of viral shedding), if the infected person was likely to generate respiratory aerosols (e.g., was coughing, singing, shouting), and other environmental factors (crowding, adequacy of ventilation, whether exposure was indoors or outdoors). Because the general public has not received training on proper selection and use of respiratory PPE, such as an N95, the determination of close contact should generally be made irrespective of whether the contact was wearing respiratory PPE. At this time, differential determination of close contact for those using fabric face coverings is not recommended.
+ Should a patient be retested after testing positive?
Once a patient tests positive for COVID, the CDC does not recommend retesting that patient. Some people do not clear the virus particles and will continue to test positive even though they are not infectious. The CDC further states immunocompetent people are no longer contagious 10 days after the onset of symptoms. Also, if a person has symptoms of Covid who earlier in the year had confirmed Covid, the recommendation to test would be only if the original infection was more than 90 days ago. If less than 90 days, a positive could be from the old infection and not contributing to the current symptoms.
SOURCE: https://www.mymhp.org/news-media/2020/november/covid-10-update-11-2-2020/
(Major Health Partners / Shelbyville, IN – via Kyrie Mullen, LPN)
