First positive case of coronavirus disease reported in Montmorency

APRIL 13–District Health Department No 4 (DHD4) is reporting the first positive case for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from a resident of Montmorency County.

The Health Department has been quickly working with the individual, an elderly male in isolation and recuperating at home, to identify and contact anyone potentially exposed and will monitor them for symptoms.

“We cannot over-emphasize the importance of compliance with the Stay Home, Stay Safe order,” remarked Denise Bryan, Health Officer at DHD4. “We want to stress that this is an order, not a suggestion, aimed at protecting the public’s health. The rise in cases and likely ongoing community spread in our area reminds us it is imperative that we follow this order and NOT leave home. Essential businesses should be screening their employees and implementing social distancing measures”

When cases are reported to the Health Department, they often tell us where the virus was spreading 10-14 days ago, not where it may be currently. These

factors together are why we feel it is important to continue to stress that any time an individual leaves their home and goes into a public place or interacts with people outside their household, they are at risk of being exposed AND of exposing others without realizing it. We realize this is anxiety provoking but trying to figure out “where it is safe” or “what store or town to avoid” would instill false sense of fear or security based on incomplete information. As you know, people should act as though the virus may be wherever they go and practice prevention measures as outlined by the Governor and CDC.

DHD4 is working hard to balance transparency with a person’s right to privacy, which is a tremendous responsibility and providing the public with information. Data can be released when a health official can determine there is reasonable privacy protection and there is a public need to know to stop the spread of disease. DHD4 can assure you that if we have information or data that needs to be released to protect the health and well-being of our community, DHD4 will release it. Our health officer and medical director determine what case data can be available for the public based on their expertise and guidance from the CDC and HIPAA. With smaller communities and relatively small case counts in DHD4 jurisdiction, patient privacy can be compromised. We understand other health departments may display different data sets based on their populations and case counts.