Health Department Reminds Community to Continue Taking Precautions Against COVID-19

With COVID-19 still active throughout the county, region and state, the Oneida County Health Department (OCHD) is reminding residents to take precautions to avoid being infected and spreading to others.

If you are not feeling well, get tested. COVID-19 symptoms are wide-ranging and vary from person to person. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever or chills; cough; shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; fatigue; muscle or body aches; headache; new loss of taste or smell; sore throat; congestion or runny nose; nausea or vomiting and diarrhea. If you have any of these symptoms, get tested. If negative, you should still stay home until you feel better.

If you test positive for COVID-19, isolate in your home and away from others. If you tested positive using an at home self-test, please report your results to https://ocgov.net/. The isolation period is five days with day zero being the date your symptoms started or the date of your positive test if you are asymptomatic. After the fifth day, if you are generally feeling better and have not had a fever in the past 24 hours without medication, you may leave isolation but should wear a mask around all others through day 10. Talk to your doctor especially if you have underlying medical conditions and might possibly benefit from medication during your illness.

If you have been exposed to a COVID-19 positive person, and you are unvaccinated, you should stay home and quarantine away from others for five days past the date of exposure. Consider testing yourself, especially if you start to experience symptoms. If you have been exposed to COVID-19 and are vaccinated, but have not received a booster shot when eligible, you should also quarantine. Regardless of vaccination status, if you have been exposed and have any symptoms, you should quarantine and seek testing.

Self-attestation paperwork for both isolation and quarantine are available for anyone needing to submit it to their school or employer. This paperwork can be found online at https://ocgov.net/content/quarantine-and-isolation. Here you will also find additional details about isolation and quarantine.

Vaccination continues to be the best defense to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. These vaccines have been found effective in preventing the spread, as well as reducing hospitalizations and death. COVID-19 vaccinations are available throughout our community, as well as at OCHD clinics in Utica and Rome. For more information, visit https://ocgov.net/content/vaccination-appointments# or call the OCHD clinic at 315-798-5747 to schedule an appointment.