Coronavirus cases continue to increase
We are continuing to see record numbers of COVID-19 cases in West Michigan. Although we have been fortunate so far that most children that get COVID-19 have done well, that is not 100% of the time. We do not have a vaccine yet. Many older adults are getting very sick and some are dying. COVID-19 is still much more deadly then influenza, even as our treatments improve. It is important to help decrease the spread for the health of your children, yourself, and for extended family and community.
Ottawa County Health Department would like us to remember the following:
* Isolate COVID+ patients for 10 days (20 days if illness was severe) and until fever is absent for at least 24hrs (w/o antipyretics) and until all symptoms are resolving.
* Quarantine patients who have had “close” contact (link) to a COVID+ case for 14 days. Patients CANNOT test out of quarantine.
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Public health is concerned about misinformation related to the severity of COVID-19 and the community-wide spread of the virus.
Clarification Needed and Messages to Emphasize:
- COVID-19 is real and very prevalent in Ottawa County. It affects all of us even if you may not feel sick. You could still be a carrier of the virus and get others sick.
- COVID-19 can result in serious long-term complications, hospitalizations and even death, especially to those who may already have health complications and the elderly. Scientists are still researching the long-term impacts on health, even in those who were healthy or had mild illness.
- Life is not back to normal yet. We are still in a pandemic. We cannot go about our normal lives as if the virus does not exist. Extreme caution needs to happen among us all especially when at school, work, places of worship and anywhere within the community. This includes wearing a mask, limiting gatherings and avoiding crowds as mandated by the state. Families should have a plan in place if schools or businesses may have limitations or restrictions.
- Public health decisions and actions are data-driven and not based on the political landscape. Data are gathered and analyzed by state and local epidemiologists, medical directors and other public health officials to inform mitigation strategies.
- Social media posts aren’t always reliable sources for health information. Seek the facts from scientific research and the expertise of medical and public health officials.
- It takes all the disease prevention measures working together by all of us to slow the spread of the virus – frequently washing hands and disinfecting surfaces, wearing a mask, keeping a physical distance from others and staying home when you do not feel well.
- Testing more people for COVID-19 does not inflate the numbers or make the situation seem worse. Testing is a critical tool to identify where the virus is spreading to contain it through isolation and quarantine and to prevent others from getting infected. Find testing sites in Ottawa County: English I Spanish.
- Contact tracing is not an infringement on your rights or an act of the government getting involved in your privacy. It is a critical tool-and time-tested tool-that goes back more than 120 years to identify those who have been infected and who they may have possibly infected. This public health-community partnership action is needed to contain the virus, and prevent further disease spread and keep our community safe. Help by connecting us with those who may have been exposed.
- Asking you to wear a mask is not against the law. It is good for infection prevention and practiced routinely in health care settings. Michigan law imposes on state and local health departments a duty to continually and diligently endeavor to prevent disease, prolong life and promote public health. Even with Governor Whitmer’s emergency powers removed, as provided in MCL 333.2253, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Service director’s emergency procedures are not limited to the Public Health Code. Wearing a mask and physical distancing are needful measures when we don’t have pharmaceutical interventions (a vaccine or a medicine).