A 24-year-old Christian County man is in self-isolation at home after receiving a presumptive positive test for COVID-19, local officials announced Sunday afternoon.
He is an employee of Hopkinsville Community College, the college announced in a news release.
The case is classified as presumptive positive because the test results came from a private company and must be verified by the state, said Christian County Health Department Director Kayla Bebout.
The health department has contacted every person except one known to have had direct contact with the man, and work continues to find that one person, said Bebout.
Direct contact is being within 6 feet of the person for at least 20 minutes.
“We asked all those in direct contact to self-quarantine and self-monitor,” Bebout said. “We will continue to provide daily monitoring for the presumptive positive individual and all their contacts.”
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Symptoms can include a cough, fever and difficulty breathing. Anyone who is concerned they have the symptoms should contact their physician before going to a doctor’s office or the hospital. The severity can range from mild to life-threatening and fatal.
Everyone in Kentucky is being encouraged to wash their hands often and to practice social distancing by keeping at least 6 feet of space between people In addition, gatherings of more than 10 people have been banned.
The state’s COVID-19 hotline is number (800) 722-5725.
More information about the coronavirus and how to help stop its spread is available at Kentucky’s resource page at www.kycovid19.ky.gov and at the Christian County Health Department’s website www.christiancountyhd.com.
This story will be updated.
(Jennifer P. Brown is the editor and founder of Hoptown Chronicle. Reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org.)
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
