Deschutes County says surge in COVID-19 cases is delaying contact tracing efforts

Expects delay to be temporary as it hires added Health Services staff

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Deschutes County Health Services is responding to a high volume of COVID-19 cases, which hit a record-high 129 cases on Friday. Due to the increase, case investigation and contact tracing teams are currently not able to contact all residents who test positive within 24 hours.
 
Public Health officials ask those who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are awaiting a call from Public Health to:

• Stay home and self-isolate for 10 days from symptom onset. If you do not have symptoms, self-isolate for 10 days following your test date.
  • Common symptoms of COVID-19 include: fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Some people may have loss of taste or smell, diarrhea, sore throat, and muscle pain, or feel very tired.
• Notify individuals you were in close contact with and let them know they should quarantine for 14 days. Contacts can resume normal activities on day 10 of their quarantine if they have no symptoms, but please continue to self-monitor for the full 14 days and stay home if you have symptoms.
  • Close contacts are people you have been within 6 ft. of for more than 15 minutes, beginning from 2 days before your symptoms began.
  • For people who test positive but do not have symptoms, notify all close contacts beginning from 2 days before you were tested.
• If your symptoms get worse, call your healthcare provider. Tell them you tested positive for COVID-19.

Public Health officials encourage individuals who are symptomatic or were exposed to someone with COVID-19 to obtain rapid or point-of-care testing. For information on where to get tested in Deschutes County, visit www.deschutes.org/covid-19testing.
 
Public Health officials are asking those who have had a COVID-19 test, other than rapid or point of care tests, and are still awaiting their test results to:

• Stay home and away from others while waiting for results.
• Notify individuals you were in close contact with and let them know that you are awaiting test results and that they should stay away from others.
• If your symptoms get worse, call your healthcare provider. Tell them you are waiting for COVID-19 test results.

“Our public health team needs the support of our community to follow public health guidance and self-isolate and begin notifying your close contacts if you test positive,” said Public Health Director Nahad Sadr-Azodi. “With this increase in cases, it’s critically important that we continue to be vigilant in taking precautions - wear your mask, keep your social 'bubble' small, and maintain good hand hygiene.”

Deschutes County Health Services said it expects that the current delay in the contact tracing process is temporary. The Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners recently approved additional positions to support COVID-19 response, and the county is actively working to post and recruit for these positions.