Humboldt County announces first two confirmed coronavirus cases

Humboldt County has reported its first two cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), according to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Humboldt County Public Health.
The first case was reported Saturday night and another was reported Sunday morning.
The subjects have been identified as an 18-40-year-old who is recovering in self-isolation, and a 41-60 year-old who is under public health monitoring.
“While these are the first confirmed cases in the county, they may not be the last. That’s why we encourage all residents to continue to make prevention a priority,” Humboldt County Public Health Director Joleen Sernett said.
“We continue to remind residents to take preventive measures to slow the spread of this virus,” said Sernett. “It’s important for everyone to stay home as much as possible and to practice social distancing – this simply means to stay away from groups of people, and to keep a six-foot distance from other individuals.”
Symptoms of COVID-19 include cough, fever (100.4 or greater) and shortness of breath. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should call your health care provider before going into the office. The provider may have special instructions for you and will determine if you should be tested.
All residents should:
• Stay home as much as possible. Leave only for essential errands like groceries or getting medication. When you run these errands, send only one person from the household, if possible.
• Stay home when even mildly ill (the kind of illness that normally wouldn’t prevent you from your everyday activities)
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow/upper arm.
• Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Approximately 80 percent of Iowans infected with COVID-19, will experience only a mild to moderate illness. Most mildly ill Iowans do not need to go to their healthcare provider or be tested to confirm they have COVID-19.
Sick Iowans must stay home and isolate themselves from others in their house. Stay home and isolate from others in the house until:
• You have had no fever for at least 72 hours (that is three full days of no fever without the use of medicine that reduces fevers)
AND other symptoms have improved (for example, when your cough or shortness of breath have improved.)
• At least seven days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.
For up-to-date information on COVID-19, visit the IDPH webpage at https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus, coronavirus.iowa.gov, and follow the department on Facebook at @IowaDepartmentOfPublicHealth and on Twitter at @IAPublicHealth.