Area health providers issue statement on COVID-19

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Lee County sees another four positive cases Wednesday for a total of 83

LEE COUNTY The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Lee County Health Department (LCHD) have identified four additional cases of COVID-19 in the county; two adults and two middle-age adults. This makes 83 confirmed cases in Lee County to date with 49 cases reported as recovered.
A joint public health message from LCHD, FMCH, and UnityPoint Health-Keokuk was released on Wednesday afternoon and reads as follows:
"LCHD, Fort Madison Community Hospital, and UnityPoint Health-Keokuk, would like to stress the importance of people staying home when ill and/or have symptoms of COVID-19 to avoid potential spread of COVID-19 illness.
The Centers of Disease Control (CDC) lists a wide range of symptoms of COVID-19 – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. These include:
Fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea
If you are exhibiting these symptoms, please stay home. If you need medical attention, please contact your medical provider by calling first. An exposure to the virus can result if you have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19. Exposure can occur when:
You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19;
You provided care or reside in a home with someone who has been sick with COVID-19;
You had direct physical contact with the person (touched, hugged, or kissed them);
You shared eating or drinking utensils;
They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you.
When you have a known exposure to someone with COVID-19you should avoid close contact with others and self-isolate or “quarantine”. This helps prevent spread of disease that can occur before a person knows they are sick or if they are infected with the virus without feeling symptoms. People in quarantine should stay home, separate themselves from others, monitor their health, and follow guidance received from local public health or their medical provider.
When in quarantine monitor your health by:
Staying home for 14 days after your last contact with a person who has COVID-19; watch for fever (100.4◦F), cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19; if possible, separate away others, especially people who are at higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19.
Guidance for reducing exposure and spread of COVID-19 illness for yourself, your family, co-workers, and community members include maintaining a social distance from those outside your own household whenever possible, wearing a face mask when in public, washing hands often with soap and water, cleaning all “high touch” surfaces frequently, covering your coughs and sneezes and then washing hands, avoiding large gatherings of people where social distancing is not feasible, and staying home when ill.

Look for emergency warning signs for COVID-19. Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility to notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.
If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:
Trouble breathing; Persistent pain or pressure in the chest; New confusion; Inability to wake or stay awake; Bluish lips or face.
Note: This list does not include all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.

cases, Coronavirus, covid19, Fort Madison Community Hospital, Lee County Health Department, Pen City Current, statement

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