Jefferson Co. Health Department Commenting on Concerns Related to Coronavirus

You must call the KDH COVID hotline before showing up at the screening clinic. The KDH COVID hotline number is 812 801-8010.

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(Jefferson County, Ind.) - We would like to take a moment to help clear up a few questions and concerns that seem to be circulating and lingering around our community.

• Testing IS being done in Jefferson County. KDH has set up a clinic dedicated to screening those with COVID-19 symptoms. They are requesting authorization for testing from the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), and those who are approved are having specimens collected and submitted. This is in addition to the patients coming in through the ER, and those inpatients who also meet the criteria. You must call the KDH COVID hotline before showing up at the screening clinic. The KDH COVID hotline number is 812 801-8010.

• There are NO confirmed cases in Jefferson County at this time. When we receive notification of a positive lab result from ISDH we will issue a press release at that time. The tests results we have received thus far have been negative but we are awaiting other test results.

• Obtaining results for those who have been tested is taking longer than it did initially. This is understandable as laboratories are becoming backlogged. On March 6th, when our state’s first positive case was reported, there had been a total of 159 specimens tested. Today, twenty days later, 4651 tests have been conducted.

• As mentioned above, there are guidelines in place for testing. With limited resources, it is not possible to test every symptomatic person. If your symptoms are not severe, the way in which you are treated is no different than if you were home with the flu or another viral illness. Test results in these cases serve no purpose. We realize that people would just “like to know”, but ISDH is tasked with being good stewards of limited resources, and as a result, the guidelines are in place.

• We need to continue being good stewards of our health and our health care provider’s health. If you experience any symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever and dry cough you should self-isolate. Self-isolation should last until you are fever-free for 72 hours without fever-reducing medication and other symptoms have improved, and at least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.

• Those individuals that have visited an area of concern or been in close proximity with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 are encouraged to stay home, contact their primary care provider or the KDH COVID-19 Hotline if they start experiencing life-threatening illness such as difficulty breathing, temperature above 102 degrees, pain or persistent pressure in the chest.

• Reports are issued based on the individual’s county of residence. If a Jefferson County resident is tested in another county, that report is issued to Jefferson County, NOT the county where the testing took place.

• Likewise, when residents of neighboring counties are tested in Jefferson County, those who are positive are reported to the county of residence. We must bear this in mind and keep in consideration that KDH services many of our surrounding counties, including those in Kentucky.

• Stay At Home means just that. This declaration does not work if it is neglected, and we are only prolonging the agony by neglecting to follow the proven guidance. Yes, you may go to the store for essentials and in emergencies. We encourage you to consolidate trips as much as possible and to eliminate store visits for non-essentials. Just because a store is open does not mean that you need to be there. These behaviors do not help our community get out of this situation any faster, and they certainly don’t help us escape without any more health-related consequences than would otherwise be observed.