LEE COUNTY — The Unified Executive Leadership Team would like to address a rumor circulating on social media and in the community regarding an event that occurred over the weekend. The Lee County Health Department has released the following statement: 

We have fielded numerous inquiries regarding a prom held at a private residence in Dixon over the weekend.  As of now, we have received no reports of a positive case having attended this gathering.  If that changes, our typical contact tracing process would be conducted.  This is an example of why we implore our residents to refrain from hosting/attending gatherings at which there is no social distancing or masks being worn.  This is how an outbreak can occur very quickly. 

There is 1 more positive case of COVID-19 in Lee County, bringing the total to 110.  The newest case is a person in his or her 30’s. The Lee County Health Department reports that an additional person has recovered and been lifted off of isolation, for a total of 100 of the 110 positive cases thus far.

COVID-19 cases are spiking in states all across our country, including Iowa and Wisconsin.  Walmart, Target, CVS, and Starbucks have now issued strict guidelines requiring every person entering their stores to wear face coverings.  The CDC recently changed their recommendations on face coverings, and the Director of the CDC, Robert Redfield, stated that if everyone used masks or face coverings, the pandemic could be under control in a matter of weeks. 

While our community has done an incredible job and the State of Illinois has “flattened the curve,” there is much work that needs to be done to avoid going backwards.  In response to significant outbreaks across the entire country, the State of Illinois released a new method of tracking metrics yesterday.  Information can be found at this link: https://www.iml.org/file.cfm?key=19479

Outside of one major outbreak last month, Lee County is seeing the most significant rise in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.  For the past 2 weeks, we have reported a new positive case nearly every day.  Testing at KSB had decreased significantly, but over the past 2 weeks has risen to more than 65 COVID tests per day.  While many of the positive results are attributed to neighboring communities, the Unified Command Team would like to remind our community that COVID-19 remains in our area and continues to be a real threat. 

Please continue, or if you haven’t been-start, to follow the recommendations.  It’s easy to remember as the 3 W’s:  Wash your hands; Watch your distance; and wear your mask.  We don’t want to backtrack from the great work our community has done.  We all have to do our part.

Also, we’d like to mention the process of contact tracing.  If your local health department tries to contact you, please answer or return their call.  Some people may feel distrustful or afraid of the term “contact tracing”.  This is actually a strategy used for many years in public health to reduce the spread of infectious disease.  Contact tracing is a critical piece of our mitigation efforts against COVID-19.  More information can be found at this link:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html

What to do if you think you have or have been exposed to COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals with symptoms SHOULD NOT GO to health care facilities such as hospitals, clinics, and urgent care centers without CALLING FIRST.  Instead, they can seek care by using one of the following options:

Testing:

Anyone with COVID-19 like symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, muscle pain, chills, sudden loss of taste and or smell and fever) OR who have a risk factor, such as contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19, a compromised immune system or a serious chronic medical condition can get a test, even without a doctor’s order. And now the following people can be tested with or without symptoms. 

• Work in health care facility
• Work in correctional facilities, such as jails or prisons
• Serve as first responders, such as paramedics, emergency medical technicians, law enforcement officers, or firefighters
• Support critical infrastructure , such as workers in grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, gas stations, public utilities, factories, childcare and sanitation 

Call the KSB Hotline Monday-Friday, 9-5 at 285-7777 to determine eligibility for testing.

Residents can go to the following websites for additional information:

Go to KSB, LCHD, IDPH, or CDC websites.  Lee County Health Department provides regular updates on its Facebook page.

• https://www.ksbhospital.com/coronavirus-outbreak-covid-19/
• http://www.lchd.com
• http://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/diseases-a-z-list/coronavirus
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• For businesses: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html
• Facebook: Lee County IL Health Department