Christian County has two more cases of COVID-19, county health officials said Wednesday, bringing the total to five locally.
Both of the new cases are presumptive positive, which means the lab that conducted the test has not yet been verified by the state.
One case is a 37-year-old woman. The other is a 75-year-old woman.
Both women are in self-isolation with mild symptoms, Christian County Health Department spokeswoman Amanda Sweeney said in a news release.
“The CCHD has been in contact with these individuals and has started the epidemiological investigation to identify direct contacts,” she stated. “A direct contact is any person who has been within 6 feet of an individual, for 20-30 minutes, who has tested positive for COVID-19.”
The health department is in daily contact with people who have tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The department also conducts daily checks with the direct contacts of those who test positive.
A local physician contacted the health department about both of the presumptive positive cases announced today.
In the past week, three other Christian County residents tested positive or had a presumptive positive test. They are a 61-year-old woman, a 24-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman. The 24-year-old man is a Hopkinsville Community College employee. The 21-year-old woman works for Gracious Me!, a gift shop on Fort Campbell Boulevard. All of them are in self-isolation at home, the health department has reported.
WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD DO DURING THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
Local and state officials, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have said you should wash your hands frequently and practice social distancing. That means maintaining at least 6 feet of space between individuals outside of the home.
Anyone who develops symptoms of COVID-19 — a dry cough, fever or shortness of breath — should call their primary care doctor.
If you don’t have a doctor, you should not go to an emergency room without first calling the hospital. ER personnel must be prepared in advance for patients to prevent the spread of the virus.
The Kentucky hotline for more information is 1-800-722-5725.
The state has a COVID-19 website with information about the number of confirmed cases in each county, best health practices, how to apply for benefits, a list of executive orders that restrict public gatherings and more.
The CDC has a COVID-19 website.
The number to call if you want to report non-compliance with Kentucky state orders is 1-833-KYSAFER. You can also report non-compliance online.
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.
