BATH – The Steuben County Public Health Department reports it has received notification that two additional Steuben County residents tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the total to 217 confirmed cases.
The individuals are nursing home residents from the City of Hornell. The individuals are currently being isolated and monitored by the Health Department.
Recently, we have seen an increase in previously positive individuals being retested, and the individuals are still testing positive. These individuals are not counted as new cases, but investigations are conducted to identify any contacts and exposure risks. Upon the retest resulting in a positive, the individual’s isolation period is either extended or started anew, depending on if they had previously “recovered” and come out of isolation.
Per CDC and New York State Department of Health guidance, information about positive individual’s contacts and activities is collected for the period of time beginning 48 hours prior to symptom onset through the day of the investigation. In light of retesting, today’s investigations indicate individuals reported visiting the following locations.
· 4/16/20 Late Morning – Smith Allergy and Asthma in Corning
· 4/16/20 Early Afternoon – Chemung Canal Trust Company drive through in Corning
· 4/17/20 Late Morning – Wegmans in Corning
· 4/21/20 Afternoon – Wegmans in Corning
“Luckily, we are getting increasing reports that the individuals who test positive have been wearing masks while in public before they are known to be positive,” said Public Health Director, Darlene Smith. “We will continue to include information from our investigations on locations visited for public awareness. Although there is lower risk in contracting the virus in passing at these types of locations, we believe the awareness will help keep the public vigilant for assessing their own symptoms and potential exposure.”
All residents, including those who visited the above locations, should continue to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath and contact their healthcare provider for instructions if feeling ill.
