By Powder River County Health Officer Sean Hill
As many people know, on Friday, June 19, 2020 we issued directives identifying a positive COVID-19 case in Powder River County. As it turns out, after subsequent testing it was a false positive.
To clarify a few contentious items over the last few days in how Public Health operates:
• This virus can and will affect everyone and anyone. It can and will affect everyone differently. It may be mild or it might be severe. If you happen to have grown up during the period of large Polio outbreaks, you will see a very close comparison. The infection rate of COVID is lower than some other illnesses. It can still hit hard, very hard. All we can do is take steps to minimize, care for those impacted, and take the initiative to prevent the spread as best we can.
• We as Public Health have a duty to take all steps needed to prevent the spread. This means identifying and quarantining close contacts. This means it might impact the way individuals live. This means taking a very conservative stance to ensure our community is safe. This also means taking immediate actions with information as it is presented to us.
• We do not take quarantine or isolation lightly. We closely weigh an individual right to freedom versus potential risks. Only when there is a direct risk do we initiate quarantine. This is done to protect the health of a community and to slow the spread of illness.
• Public Health will only take action based on official notification. We cannot consider information gathered from family, others, or outside sources. Often times this information takes longer to receive depending on the entities involved but notification must come through official channels. We urge all individuals not to jump to conclusions, not to panic, and wait until we are able to confirm any information. Please do not ask us to share more information than we are allowed to by law. Only in very rare circumstances does the public right to know take precedence over keeping individual information private. This is a small community where it’s very possible everyone knows the individual. Please do not talk to us about it, we cannot discuss the cases. Please respect the individual and do not gossip. As we investigate, we will share any pertinent information.
• Testing for this particular illness is not always accurate, and can create false positives as well false negatives. Keep in mind COVID-19 is new, unlike any we have seen and that means testing is also new and not 100% accurate. Testing results depends on a number of outlying factors including the viral load in the person, and where in the illness cycle this person is. (For example, towards the end of the illness, a person could test positive when they are no longer showing symptoms or able to spread the virus.) Each individual immune system also plays a large part of testing. Please keep in mind that any testing, is only an indication of active infection at the time of testing.
We will be impacted again by COVID-19. We are seeing the circle around Powder River County get smaller and smaller. Custer County has had so many cases in such a short time, they stepped back to the Governor’s Phase One directives.
As we move forward and prepare for active cases, we will be working at refining our responses and improving plans so when that time comes, we are truly prepared. In order to launch a proper response, We will need the community’s support. In order to remain a close community, we will need to support one another. Instead of casting blame, ask how to help. If you can’t help, ask yourself what you can do to keep your family safe.
The safety precautions are there to protect people. Follow them. Keep sanitizer close, keep a mask to wear when you cannot be distanced from others. Wash your hands frequently. Take a positive approach and look out for the well-being of your family, your neighbors and others throughout the community who may be more affected by this virus than others.
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