Clinton County Health Department reports no new confirmed COVID-19 cases
Plattsburgh, April 22, 2020. On Wednesday morning, the Clinton County Health Department reported no new positive cases of COVID-19 for the fourth day in a row. With fewer new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19, Clinton County is beginning to identify benchmarks that may be used to determine when businesses, organizations and residents can resume certain activities.
Mark Henry, Chairman of the Clinton County Legislature, stated, “Careful planning is required. To safely begin resuming regular activity, Clinton County will employ a collaborative phased approach that balances existing executive orders and input from local municipalities, with a concentrated responsible effort to restart the local economy and get business open. All of this must happen within the framework of good data-driven public health policy and protocols to avoid a resurgence of COVID 19.”
Increased testing for COVID-19 and antibody testing have been central to State and National discussions about the re-opening of America. Over the last week Clinton County has seen a slight increase in the number of test kits on hand, resulting in an increase in the number of tests that can be performed. Testing will include individuals for whom a test is ordered by a physician providing the order meets priority 1 or 2 criteria for testing established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (https://bit.ly/2XTajeV). Individuals who feel that they may have COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath) or other symptoms of illness should contact their healthcare provider office.
Factors that may influence when a slow re-opening process can begin to include the percent of new positive tests in comparison to total tests; the number of active cases; and data from the NYSDOH antibody testing survey, when it is released. The County will follow guidance available from State and Federal sources to make decisions about re-engaging the workforce, travel, social gatherings, and how to continue protecting vulnerable individuals. “It’s still too soon to say when re-opening will occur but we are encouraged to be at a point where it makes sense to start planning for a return to more normal operations,” added Mr. Henry.
Lab-confirmed positive 56
Recovered 42
Deaths 2
Probable 3
Recovered 2
Deaths 1
Suspect 42
Recovered 38
Deaths 0
Active Cases 16
Tested 544
Posted: April 22nd, 2020 under County Government News, Heathcare News.