County’s COVID cases rise

Union County Public Health Director Zach Woods said 66 new cases of COVID were reported in the county from Jan. 1 through Jan. 7. He informed the Union County Board of Supervisors of the findings Monday.

The number is an increase for the county, which has recently been in the 40s during recent weekly reports. Woods said a high volume of recent testing may show the rise in the number of cases. The county’s positivity rate is 13.4% and had been about 10.

“The Omicron (variant) is definitely in Iowa. It has spread a lot quicker than the Delta (variant),” he said.

Woods explained how the Center for Disease Control has changed is guidelines for those who are infected.

According to the center, “People with COVID-19 should isolate for five days and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), follow that by five days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter. The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after.

Additionally, CDC is updating the recommended quarantine period for anyone in the general public who is exposed to COVID-19. For people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose (or more than 2 months after the J&J vaccine) and not yet boosted, CDC now recommends quarantine for five days followed by strict mask use for an additional five days. Alternatively, if a 5-day quarantine is not feasible, it is imperative that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure. Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure. For all those exposed, best practice would also include a test for SARS-CoV-2 at day five after exposure. If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19.

Isolation relates to behavior after a confirmed infection. Isolation for 5 days followed by wearing a well-fitting mask will minimize the risk of spreading the virus to others. Quarantine refers to the time following exposure to the virus or close contact with someone known to have COVID-19.