The Minnesota Department of Health confirmed a case of COVID-19 in Cass County.
According to a news release Sunday, March 22, from Cass County Health, Human and Veterans Services, the resident is an older person with no known travel history. The patient developed symptoms on March 9 and sought treatment March 16.
The Minnesota Department of Health informed the county of the confirmed case Saturday evening.
Cass County Public Health officials will not release the location within Cass County where the resident resides.
“The resident is currently isolated at home,” stated Jeri Seegmiller, county team leader with Cass County Health Human and Veteran Services, in the news release. “People identified positive will be asked to quarantine themselves for 14 days from their exposure date and should monitor for worsening symptoms.”
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Cass County Board Chair Neal Gaalswyk shared his support and concern for the affected individual and emphasized the importance of partnerships.
“Cass County is fortunate to have strong public health and emergency preparedness teams working to keep our residents safe and healthy,” Gaalswyk stated in the release. “By working collaboratively with local, state, and national agencies, we’ll be better able to monitor and contain this outbreak. I know this is hard news and may cause some folks to become anxious. We will get through this and Cass County will remain a great place to live.”
Since the outbreak was first reported in December 2019, more than 329,299 cases and 14,376 deaths have been reported around the world, according to Johns Hopkins University. That total includes more than 32,057 U.S. cases and 400 U.S. deaths as of Sunday afternoon. The U.S. now has the third-largest number of confirmed cases, behind China and Italy, respectively. Minnesota has 169 confirmed cases with one reported death.
In a majority of cases, COVID-19 causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever, cough and shortness of breath. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. Health officials recommend individuals and families make a plan in case someone gets sick. In addition to following social distancing recommendations, they also suggest following the same steps used for avoiding the flu:
Stay home and away from others if sick.
Cover coughs and sneezes with an elbow or a tissue.
Wash hands frequently for 20 seconds with soap and water.
Avoid touching the face throughout the day.
The Minnesota Department of Health has a public hotline operating 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The hotline number is 651-201-3920. Any person can call this number with questions about COVID-19.
Visit
cdc.gov
and
health.state.mn.us
for more information about COVID-19.
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