The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Cass County Public Health, Saturday, said an additional case of COVID-19 has been identified in the county. Cass County Public Health is conducting a contact tracing investigation on this case to identify close contacts who should monitor their health symptoms and self-isolate. Details concerning the persons age, and where they reside, were not released. The person previously reported on April 12th to have tested positive for COVID-19 was released a couple of weeks later, from the hospital.

Cass County Public Health Director Beth Olsen said “With many businesses reopening and some normal activities resuming, it’s more important than ever that Cass County residents take preventive measures to slow the spread of this virus. Wear a mask when you’re running errands, wash or sanitize your hands frequently, stay home as much as possible, and practice social distancing. Social distancing simply means to stay away from groups of people, and to keep a 6-foot distance from other individuals.”

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, and shortness of breath. These symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to another infected individual. Other symptoms include chills, muscle pain, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell. 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.

For up-to-date information on COVID-19, visit the IDPH webpage at https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-HealthIssues/Novel-Coronavirus and follow the department on Facebook at @IowaDepartmentOfPublicHealth and on Twitter at @IAPublicHealth. ###