The percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 continues to climb in Christian County, local health officials say.
The positivity rate so far in July is 8% among those using the health department’s drive-thru test site, spokeswoman Amanda Sweeney reported Tuesday in a press release. That compares to 6% in June, 2% in May and 5% in April.
State and federal health officials have warned that positive test rates rising above 5% are an indication the disease is spreading actively.
The health department has conducted 7,049 coronavirus tests over 14 consecutive weeks, and Jennie Stuart Health has conducted 3,860, for a total of 10,909 in Christian County. The positivity rate is from the health department testing only.
During the most recent week, the health department averaged 170 tests per day. The previous week it was an average of 186 per day. Testing is conducted from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday at Tie Breaker Park. There’s no charge. Drivers enter the test site at the Stadium of Champions on LaFayette Road.
The number of coronavirus cases confirmed in the county since the pandemic began in mid-March is 498. Thirteen new cases were reported Tuesday.
According to the health department’s daily reports, there were 63 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 the week of July 19 and 88 the previously week, which was the highest one-week total so far.
The department also provides a more detailed news release every Tuesday.
This week, Sweeney noted several changes in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines about coronavirus symptoms, quarantine, isolation and testing.
Early in the pandemic, health officials warned that a fever and a dry, persistent cough were the main symptoms, but the list has been expanded as more is learned about the disease.
“Additional COVID-19 symptoms have been identified including fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headaches, loss of taste and smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea,” Sweeney said in the release.
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Previously, a direct contact of a person who tests positive for COVID-19 was listed as someone within 6 feet for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Now it is 6 feet for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
People who test positive are told to isolate for 10 days from the onset of symptoms.
“Following the 10-day mandatory isolation period, if the patient has been fever-free, meaning he/she is not taking any medication to suppress fever such as Tylenol, etc., and has an improvement in symptoms, he/she may be eligible to come out of isolation,” Sweeney said. “If an individual has tested positive for COVID-19 but has no symptoms, he/she will be eligible to come out of isolation after the 10-day period. This will be determined on a case by case basis and the health department will be in contact with these individuals.”
Those with a severe illness could be required to isolate for 20 days after the onset of symptoms.
“The CDC is not requiring individuals show a negative test result before returning to work, however, if business owners require a negative test result, that requirement is well within their rights and will vary from business to business,” Sweeney said.
Anyone who is a direct contact of someone testing positive must quarantine for 14 days after exposure to that person.
Sweeney stressed that a negative test does not end the quarantine period.
“The virus can take anywhere from 2 to 14 days to manifest in the body. A negative test before the quarantine period ends could simply mean the virus is not yet detectable in the body,” she said.
(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.
