Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Local officials are submitting a request to hold a community-wide COVID-19 testing event after six additional Eddy County residents tested positive for the virus Thursday.
"We know it's in the community," Eddy County Public Health Nurse Danette Schmid said via phone Thursday morning. "All of us play a role in the prevention of COVID-19, and we at public health will look at ways that we can do a large-scale testing event."
Schmid said the testing could be administered by either the state's Rapid Response Team or by local officials, depending on the availability of state resources. She noted the high percentage of Eddy County positive cases compared to its population. Now with eight confirmed cases, the county's average per capita is much higher than many other places across the state, with 345.9 per 100,000 population. In comparison, the average is 452.2 per 100,000 population in Grand Forks County, where major employer LM Wind Power experienced an outbreak last month. Eddy County could reach Grand Fork County's average with just two or three additional positive cases.
Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd (LHGS) Administrator Kim Jensrud spoke to us Friday and confirmed that two residents and five staff members of the nursing home have tested positive for COVID-19. The facility held a second mass testing event on Wednesday. All of the individuals who tested positive were asymptomatic at the time of testing. Jensrud also said the Heritage House tenant who tested positive on May 12 received a negative test result Thursday, and no additional Heritage House tenants or staff members had a positive test. Readers should note that not all employees of LHGS are residents of Eddy County, which explains why there are more positive cases reported there than there are in Eddy County.
The families of the residents and the staff members who tested positive were notified Thursday. Jensrud said the two residents will be placed in an isolation unit at the facility and be cared for by dedicated staff who have offered to provide care for them during their self-isolation period.
Employees who tested positive have been directed to quarantine at home for 10-14 days depending on symptoms and risk level. Anyone who has been in close contact with the above individuals have or will be contacted by the North Dakota Department of Health(NDDoH). Each will be given directions which may include symptom monitoring, quarantine and testing. The contact tracer may name the person who tested positive, if the individual has given permission for his or her name to be released to contacts.
Eddy County Public Information Officer Tiffany Harr issued a press release Friday urging residents to remain vigilant. "Please remember that it is very important for the people who are testing positive to report all close contacts to the contact tracer. This information will help slow the spread of COVID-19," Harr said. Close contact is defined as a person who spends 10 minutes or more within 6 feet of a person that has been diagnosed with COVID-19 up to two days prior to the person's positive testing, Harr added.
There is a great deal of information on what to do if you have tested positive, if you are a close contact, or if you have been around someone who tested positive for COVID-19 at http://www.ndresponse.gov/covid-19-resources/covid-19-faqs.
Schmid shared a Fact Sheet with more information for close contacts in particular, which can be downloaded here: https://www.newrockfordtranscript.com/home/cms_data/dfault/pdfs/misc/2020-05-18.pdf
Please remember that a person who is ordered to quarantine by NDDoH can be charged with a Class B misdemeanor if he or she fails to follow the quarantine order, per North Dakota Century Code §23-07-6-02(3)
The North Dakota Department of Health has a health hotline readers can call if they have questions related to COVID-19, 7 days a week from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The phone number is 1-866-207-2880.
Jensrud and Schmid both concluded that the key is "personal responsibility." Each community member should remain diligent with their prevention strategies, to include social distancing and proper hygiene. Anyone who has symptoms should stay home. The time is now for each individual to consider the risks and commit to practicing CDC and state health department guidelines. There is no way to "eliminate risk" Gov. Burgum said Friday, noting that everyone is in the business of rather managing that risk.
As of Friday, there were 860 active confirmed cases across the state. Fifty-two North Dakotans have died with COVID-19. Nearly 10% of all North Dakotans have been tested at least once, which is the second highest rate per capita in the nation.
President Trump signed a proclamation Friday ordering all flags to fly at half staff through Sunday, May 24, in remembrance of the 94,000 Americans who have died of COVID-19 to date. Flags will continue to fly at half staff through noon Monday in observance of Memorial Day.
