The Allegany County Department of Health was recently notified of the death of the first County resident. "To protect the family’s privacy, the only information we are releasing is that the person was over 60 years old and had other health conditions that could have compromised their recovery from COVID–19," said Lori Ballengee, Public Health Director. "I can’t stress strongly enough that this is a community acquired disease. While we are protecting the public by isolating or quarantining exposed people immediately after we are notified, there are still things you can do. We understand people are feeling afraid and powerless right now. But you do have the power and control to protect you and your family as much as you can by following the guidance below," she said.
Community acquired means you can get it from respiratory droplets from infected people and on any surface as long as the virus is alive. So if you touch a door handle, counter, etc. that has live virus on it, then touch a mucous membrane (nose, eye, mouth) you can introduce the virus into your body. Identifying a store or business where people may have been doesn’t help because the virus is everywhere and can give a false sense of security that the virus isn’t everywhere else.
