The number of Greene County cases of Covid-19 has surpassed 600 as of Friday morning, Dec. 11. Greene County director of public health Becky Wolf reported five new cases were identified in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of county residents who have had the virus to 601. Of those, 212 are active cases and 389 residents are considered to be recovered. Two county residents have died of Covid-19.
The 14-day positivity rate for Covid-19 testing among Greene County residents as of Friday morning, Dec. 11, was 11.2 percent, up from 10.7 percent on Thursday. There have been 65 new cases in the past 14 days, 27 in the past seven days, and 23 in the past three days.
Twenty-eight percent of the total patients had no pre-existing health condition and 56 percent had no Covid symptoms.
Breakdown for age groups for Greene County positive cases is as follows:
- 0-18 years: 15 percent
- 19-39 years: 32 percent
- 40-59 years: 31 percent
- 60-74 years: 19 percent
- 80 and older: 5 percent
Positive cases by zip code are:
- Jefferson: 333
- Scranton: 77
- Churdan: 40
- Grand Junction: 45
- Rippey: 26
- Paton: 33
- Dana: 1
- Coon Rapids: 5
- Bagley: 6
- Jamaica: 5
- Perry: 3
- Lake City: 1
- Gowrie: 2
Greene County public health strong urges residents to celebrate Christmas at home with the people they live with. Getting together with family and friends outside the immediate household increases the changes of getting or spreading both Covid-19 and influenza. Risk factors include:
- Community levels of COVID-19: Refer to www.coronavirus.iowa.gov for more information.
- Exposure during travel: Airports, public transport, gas stations, and rest stops are places to be exposed to the virus in the air and on surfaces.
- Location: Indoor gatherings, especially small enclosed spaces with no outside air, pose more risk than outdoor gatherings.
- Duration: Being within six feet of someone who has COVID-19 for 15 minutes or more greatly increases the risk of becoming sick and requires quarantine.
- Number and crowding of people: The more people attending, the more risk of infection.
- Behaviors of attendees prior to gatherings: Those who did not consistently practice social distancing, mask wearing and handwashing pose more risk to others.
- Behaviors of attendees during the gatherings: Having fewer or no preventative measures in place poses increased risk. Use of alcohol or drugs may alter judgement and make it more difficult to practice safety measures.
The Centers for Disease Control issued new recommendations last week for the length of quarantine. Based on local availability of Covid testing, people without symptoms who have been exposed to the virus can end their quarantine:
- After Day 10 without testing and if no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring.
- On Day 7 after receiving a negative test result AND if no symptoms were reported during daily monitoring. The specimen may be collected and tested within 48 hours before the time of planned quarantine discontinuation, but quarantine cannot be discontinued earlier than after Day 7.
After stopping quarantine, people should:
- Watch for symptoms until 14 days after exposure.
- Immediately self-isolate and contact their local public health authority or healthcare provider if they develop symptoms.
- Wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet from others, wash their hands, avoid crowds, and take other steps to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
CDC continues to endorse quarantine for 14 days and recognizes that any quarantine shorter than 14 days balances reduced burden against a small possibility of spreading the virus.
