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What to expect if you came into contact with a COVID-19 positive person By Vickie Aldous of the Mail Tribune Jun 05, 2020 02:20 PM A A Jackson County Public Health announced no new COVID-19 cases Friday in the county and offered details about what people can expect if they test positive for the virus or get notified they’ve been exposed to an infected person. The number of COVID-19 cases in Jackson County remained at 69, with 55 people recovered, 14 active cases and no deaths. Jackson County entered phase two of the state’s reopening plan from COVID-19 restrictions Friday. One of the criteria for the county to move into phase two was for the county to have 33 contact tracers available. That number is based on the county’s population. Jackson County Health and Human Services has redirected additional staff to boost contact tracing capabilities. The new contact tracers will join others working with community members who have been exposed to a person who tested positive for the virus, officials said. “We’re excited to begin a new phase of this important work, which will help keep community members safer,” said Dr. Jim Shames, the county’s public health official. “We ask people to answer our calls and follow the guidance if they’ve been exposed to the virus so that we can continue to suppress COVID-19 in Jackson County. As we do this, we’ll protect our family, friends and neighbors.” The main goal of contact tracing is to stop the spread of the virus by offering education and support to those who’ve tested positive or been exposed to an infected person. If you test positive for COVID-19, you will be contacted by Jackson County Public Health and encouraged to self-isolate for 10 days even if you don’t have symptoms or feel sick. You should stay home, except to seek medical care. Telemedicine visits are encouraged. If possible, separate yourself from people and pets at home and don’t share utensils, towels, pillows, bedding, kitchens or bathrooms. Clean high-touch surfaces daily, wear a mask and monitor your symptoms. If you develop symptoms, self-isolate for at least 10 days and for at least three days after a fever is gone (without the use of fever-reducing medicine) and for three days after improvement of other symptoms. Contact tracers will have conversations with you to help you remember the places and people you visited before self-isolating. People who may have been exposed are called contacts. Contact tracers will not reveal your identity to your contacts. Your information is strictly confidential and treated as protected health information. Contact tracers will help you understand how to prevent the spread of the virus, how to care for yourself and how to connect with local resources if needed. If you are identified as someone who has come into close contact with an infected person, contact tracers will call to notify you. You will be asked to quarantine at home for 14 days even if you don’t feel sick or have symptoms. After 14 days, the danger of becoming sick will have passed. If you feel well, you can resume normal activities. While in quarantine, stay at least six feet away from other people you live with. Contact tracers will call, email or text you daily to see how you are feeling. They will also encourage you to get tested for COVID-19 and can connect you with support resources if needed. Lodging is available for people who can’t safely self-isolate at home. Throughout the contact tracing process, the information of infected people and their contacts is strictly confidential, public health officials said. Information will not be shared with immigration officials. Contact tracers will never ask you to provide your social security number, immigration status, credit card number, bank account number or billing information. Contact tracers will ask about your county of residence, occupation, date of birth, race or ethnicity, primary language, disability status, phone number, email address, mailing address and whether you have COVID-19-like symptoms. Evidence shows COVID-19 is impacting certain groups more severely, including black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaskan Native communities in Oregon and across the nation, Jackson County Public Health officials said. The Oregon Health Authority requires the collection of demographic data. The information will help public health officials notice and address health disparities among different groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, as contact tracing abilities are strengthened for phase two, Jackson County Public Health is encouraging everyone to help control the spread of the virus. Maintain six feet of physical distancing from those not in your household, wear a face covering in public, cough or sneeze into your elbow, wash your hands frequently and disinfect surfaces. “Contact tracing is an additional tool to avoid further disease spread, but we need all Oregonians, including those in Jackson County, to do their part to keep themselves and their community safe,” Jackson County Public Health said in a press release. To learn more about contact tracing, visit healthoregon.org/contacttracing . For information in Spanish, see healthoregon.org/rastreodecontacto . Reach Mail Tribune reporter Vickie Aldous at 541-776-4486 or [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter @VickieAldous . Contact tracers are helping to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus.{ }