THREE UPDATES ON LOCAL EFFORTS TO COMBAT COVID-19
Resources to watch:
https://health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/ https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
1. from COLUMBIA MEMORIAL HEALTH
As of this morning (March 12, 2020) no CMH patient has tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19). This is a very dynamic situation, however, and as we have seen in other areas of the state and nation, a positive test may occur in the future in our region.
We've established a hotline for persons concerned that they may have contracted the virus. If you have a fever, cough and/or shortness of breath, or if you have reason to believe you have been exposed to the coronavirus, please call the hotline at 518-828-8249. A trained staff member will provide guidance concerning testing, care and protective protocols.
To best protect you, our patients, our staff and the public, it is very important that you call this number before seeking testing or care for a coronavirus related concern. As always, if there is an emergent need for care of any kind, come directly to the ER without delay.
We will provide updates as the situation evolves. It is important to remember over 80% of those infected with coronavirus have only mild symptoms. The best thing we all can do is to remain calm and follow the CDC recommendations to help prevent the virus from spreading. Do your part: stay calm, focus on prevention and call the hotline if you have the symptoms listed above or have been exposed to a confirmed positive case.
As of 9:30am on March 12, 2020, Columbia County has no positive cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19). We encourage you to continue to seek reputable sources for your information. These can be found on our website, https://www.columbiamemorialhealth.org . Other reputable sources include the World Health Organization, https://www.who.int , the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov and the New York State Department of Health, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
2. from The Columbia Paper:
COLUMBIA COUNTY PREPARES FOR CORONAVIRUS
HUDSON -- “The Columbia County Board of Supervisors and county personnel are taking all precautions in the fight against the coronavirus, or COVID-19. This includes protecting our residents to the extent possible and making plans for the county to continue carrying out its business in the event a major outbreak occurs here,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murrell said today.
3. from Taghkanic Volunteer Fire Company:
To the Residents of the Taghkanic Fire Co.-
Our department is asking you to please follow these precautions during the COVID-19 outbreak:
If you are quarantined (mandatory or self imposed) in your home due to possible or confirmed COVID-19 exposure, PLEASE notify 911 when you call and advise the dispatcher. We also ask that you place a sign/note on your front door to alert our personnel to take infection-prevention precautions before entering your home or business.We need to protect our crews so that they will be able to continue to meet the emergency needs of the community. Elsewhere, there have been entire fire companies quarantined after they have responded to quarantined homes and were not alerted before entering. Those first responders are now unavailable to help anyone for at least 14 days.In our small department we cannot afford to have this happen and being VOLUNTEERS we do not want to have to take it home to our families.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding