The Peru Gazette

4-11-20 Clinton County Health Department COVID-19 Case Update

Plattsburgh, April 11, 2020. “Today we mourn the death of a second Clinton County resident due to complications of the COVID-19 virus, stated John Kanoza, Director of Public Health for Clinton County. This is an extremely difficult time for the family and friends of both individuals and a very sad time for our entire community. We have known from the start that COVID-19 can be deadly. It’s only human to hold on to hope that such a terrible consequence might pass us by, but today we know otherwise.”

On Friday, CVPH Medical Center reported the first COVID-19 death in Clinton County as that of an 80-year-old woman, who entered the hospital on April 2nd. On Saturday, a second COVID-19 patient passed away.

As the first news of a possible worldwide pandemic began to appear, Clinton County leadership and departments, our hospital and health care providers, school systems, businesses, not-for-profit organizations and other entities pulled out previously developed emergency plans, checked that they were up-to-date, and readied themselves for implementation. Now several months in, these organizations are continually working together under a Unified Command System to respond to new cases of the virus and to meet the needs of residents who are in isolation or quarantine, along with the needs of individuals who are staying at home to help slow the spread.

On Thursday night, the Clinton County Health Department (CCHD), with the support of the Unified Command leadership for Clinton County’s response to COVID-19, employed an up-until-now unused strategy to control the spread of COVID-19 in an apartment building in the City of Plattsburgh. A building-wide legal quarantine was issued at the Russell Barnard Apartments on Flynn Avenue after the number of confirmed cases among residents rose to four along with an additional suspect case.

With the detection of this possible hot spot, CCHD notified the incident commanders of the County’s Incident Management Team and sought approval for plan of action. Critical partners, including City of Plattsburgh government, City police, City fire, County Sheriff, and EMS responders along with the building operator, Plattsburgh Housing Authority, were included in a coordinated effort to notify residents and assess immediate needs. Follow-up among partners and with building residents has been on-going. Eric Day, Director of Clinton County’s Office of Emergency Services noted, “Our goal in an incident such as this is to be nimble and responsive.”

Clinton County Legislative Chairperson, Mark Henry commented, “Thursday’s actions illustrate the importance of the County’s emergency decision and planning process. Clinton County agencies are overseeing and coordinating the response to the quarantine order at the Russell Barnard building. The Clinton County Department of Social Services (DSS), and Clinton County Health Department (CCHD) are working with building operator Plattsburgh Housing Authority and partner organizations JCEO and United Way to ensure that affected residents will receive the critical support they need during this difficult time for them and their families.”

In regard to the two members of our community lost to COVID-19, Mr. Kanoza stated, “Even with our best efforts, we have learned that COVID-19 has its own plan. However, one strategy that has proven to be particularly effective in slowing the spread of this virus is staying at home and distancing ourselves from each other”. Over the last week Clinton County statistics indicate what might be a “flattening of the curve,” a phrase used to describe the slowing of new cases of the virus. According to Mr. Kanoza, “This shows that social distancing works. We implore all residents to remain steadfast and to continue these efforts for a bit longer.”

CCHD issued these numbers regarding the number of COVID-19 cases in Clinton County for Saturday April 11, 2020. There have been 363 tests performed resulting in 43 lab confirmed cases, 28 of whom have recovered. There have been 2 deaths.