April 2 update: 11th case in Cascade County; CCHD answers common questions
There are now 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19 assigned to Cascade County.
Cascade County City-County Health Department said that as of 5:30 p.m. April 2, the 11th case had been confirmed by the state public health lab and is a woman in her 50s who is a contact to a known case.
She is now isolated and CCHD is conducting a confidential contact investigation.
CCHD also posted information tonight regarding commonly asked questions about COVID-19 with information from Trisha Gardner, county health officer.
“People are wondering how the virus spreads and whether you’re at risk. Many are worried that they’re being exposed and don’t know about it.
However, there are a couple important things to note. First, according to current CDC guidance, the COVID-19 virus is thought to be transmitted mainly by respiratory droplets.
Droplet spread means that if a sick person coughs or sneezes, virus particles would fall onto nearby surfaces. Someone could touch those surfaces then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth. These droplets could also land in the mouths or noses of people nearby, or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
People who have COVID-19—but who do not yet have symptoms like coughing or sneezing—are less likely to transmit the virus. The probability of transmitting COVID while non-symptomatic is low.
That said, the CDC tells us that surfaces or objects can be contaminated. We’ve received questions about this, too. Although this isn’t the main way the virus spreads, it is possible.
However, even if you do inadvertently touch something contaminated, the risk that you will get the virus from it decreases significantly if you always make sure to do two things:
– First, and I can’t say this enough: WASH YOUR HANDS! Wash them properly, frequently, and thoroughly.
– Second, don’t touch your mouth, nose, or eyes—really: don’t touch your face. If you must touch your face, then wash your hands first!
You can decrease your risk even further by routinely cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
According to the World Health Organization, what we currently know of this virus is that it seems to be transmitted mainly through contact with droplets rather than through the air.
Understanding this can help ease some fears for those who worry that they could have been exposed, especially in the workplace.
Simply being in the same building with someone who is tested for COVID-19—whether that’s at work, or out in the community—doesn’t mean that everyone who was in the building at the same time is actually at risk for developing the virus. They would have to be in range of the droplets.
If we have reason to believe that there’s a place of concern in the community, or if we believe you were in close contact with someone who could have exposed you to the virus, then CCHD will take appropriate actions. Our entire mission as an agency is to protect the health of our community.
We will contact you if you have been identified as a contact to someone who tested positive. If it seems that a positive case spent a prolonged period of time in a certain place or business, we will talk to that business and advise them of the steps they should take.
That brings us around to another question we’ve heard. People want to know why we aren’t disclosing more details about the cases—details about where the person who tested positive lives or works.
The reason is this: one of the fundamental rights of people living in the United States is the right to privacy.
There are laws in place that protect every person’s health information. Here at CCHD we stringently uphold these laws, and we protect any information about a patient that might be used to identify that patient.
Because of this, we do not provide a name or occupation, workplace, specific travel history, their address, the location where they’re isolated—because all of those things could jeopardize a person’s right to privacy and security.
We don’t tell you the city they live in, because in Montana we have a lot of smaller cities. If we tell you there’s a case in a certain city, then it’s possible that the community could identify the patient.
We don’t disclose the patient’s provider, or where they sought medical care, or where they got tested. But public health is still protected!
When someone is isolated at home or even under a doctor’s care, they do not pose a risk to the public. That’s why we don’t disclose that information.
Please keep in mind that if it were you who tested positive for COVID-19, this is the kind of information you would probably not want disclosed to the general public. Our laws and protocols ensure that does not happen.
You can rest assured knowing that we would protect you—we would protect your privacy and security, just as thoroughly as we protect the information of all COVID-19 patients in Cascade County.
Again, please know that we are taking the steps we need to take to notify anyone who could have been affected, which is why we don’t feel the need to disclose any additional information beyond what is permitted by HIPAA and the laws that protect your privacy.
We understand that many people are frightened. We are going to get through this together.
The science and understanding of COVID-19 evolves rapidly because this is a new virus, so make sure you stay up-to-date on the CCHD website.
If you have particular questions or concerns, please reach out to CCHD at 406-454-6950 or email us at health@cascadecountymt.gov.”
