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COVID-19 Update Key questions answered during special Corpus Christi city council meeting
John Oliva
Corpus Christi Caller Times
Corpus Christi's City Council held a special meeting Wednesday to hear from area experts about the COVID-19 pandemic and how it's affecting the community.
Hilary Watt, executive director of the Coastal Bend Regional Advisory Council (CBRAC) and Nueces County Health Director Annette Rodriguez answered questions from council members, some of them prompted from what constituents in their districts are asking. Below are some of the key questions answered during the meeting
What can I do if I come in contact with someone I know is COVID-19 positive
Rodriguez said if you were in contact with a known COVID-19 positive, you must go into a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Even if you get tested for COVID-19 while in quarantine and test negative, you still have to remain in quarantine. Rodriguez stated that the incubation period for COVID-19 is from 2-14 days.
I was just diagnosed with COVID-19, do I have to be in isolation
Rodriguez said it is a mandatory 14-day isolation for people who test positive for COVID-19. If you are still showing symptoms past the recommended quarantine time period, you can call the Nueces County Health District for further guidance at 361-826-7200.
Health director Annette Rodriguez holds a 6ft ruler during a special City Council meeting on Wednesday, July 8, 2020,
EMPLOYERS We're opening back up, what can I do with our staff
Rodriguez said send your employees who test positive for COVID-19 home. Some of the tips shared during the special meeting include
If someone tests positive for COVID-19, contract trace any contacts for that person in your business.
Send those possible contacts who were near the individual who tested positive home for 14 days to self-quarantine.
Thoroughly disinfect the workplace. Everything the individual(s) touched needs to be cleaned and wiped down.
Develop a COVID-19 plan. Businesses should already have a plan in place outlining what to do if an employee tests positive for the virus.
EMPLOYERS We're opening back up, what can I not do with our staff
Rodriguez also shared tips for employers of what not to do when an employee tests positive for COVID-19
Do not ask an employee who tested positive for COVID-19 to came back prior finishing a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine.
Do not require the staff to get re-tested to come back. Rodriguez said an individual can do a non-testing symptom strategy on day 15, if you no longer have a fever or any other symptom, you can go back to work.
Do not ask staff for proof they tested positive. If an employer does seek further confirmation, they can call the Health District to verify the worker tested positive.
Do not require a release letter for an individual to come back to work after completing their 14-day quarantine.
Why don’t we get regular updates on hospital numbers, like how many COVID-19 positive patients are in the hospital or how many hospital and ICU beds are available now
Watt said when given, hospital numbers serve as a snapshot for that moment in time, at best, as the data can change from hour to hour. Patient populations are constantly in flux as patients get transferred from ICU to a care floor and possibly back to ICU again or are discharged.
People who test multiple times — are those being reported in our case numbers
Rodriguez assured council that people who have tested positive for COVID-19 multiple times have not been reported in the county's totals multiple times. For example, Rodriguez said a person who tested positive for Nueces County in March and was still testing positive for the virus in June only counted as one case in the county's totals.
Rodriguez did note that it is getting harder for the department to filter out multiple testers because of the quantity of testing currently being done, but the city’s technology department is working to make that process easier.
How are we tracking people who are recovering
Rodriguez told council that staff from the health district are regularly looking at the quarantine period for individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 and will call them to see if they meet the criteria for recovery once the 14-day quarantine period has passed.
Have there been any patterns from private labs indicating false positives or false negatives
Rodriguez said there were issues early on in the pandemic with antibody testing, but those numbers were not something the Health District was allowed to count in reported totals at that time. She also stated the health district is now allowed to count antibody testing provided it meets DSHS (Texas Department of State Health Services) criteria. Out of the current 4,917 cases reported in Nueces County, only one case was through antibody testing.
When officials say co-morbidities, what does that mean
Comorbidity means there are underlying health conditions a patient might have that can be taken into consideration. Examples of common comorbidities for our area are diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). When asked by District 4 councilman Greg Smith if it was fair to say that 50% of the area's population had comorbidities, Rodriguez said that would be a conservative estimate.
When will the city's website start reporting age, gender, location data again in updates
Rodriguez said that the city's technology department is working to have the data ready to report again by July 9 or July 10.
Have the recent uptick in COVID-19-related deaths been long-term hospitalized patients
As the numbers increase, Rodriguez said that information is harder to keep track of. She also stated that some of the more recent deaths from COVID-19 were patients who were admitted as recently as July 1 or July 2.
Is it possible the strain may have mutated from March to now
There is nothing that doctors working with the health department have seen to indicate a mutation in the virus, Rodriguez said.
If I tested in the drive-thru this morning, how long do I have to wait for my results to come in
If you tested through the county-conducted drive-thru testing in the morning, Rodriguez said you would receive results from them by the afternoon. However, if individuals who have done testing through the National Guard or a private medical facility could expect wait times of 4-14 days to get test results.
John Oliva covers issues that matter to you. Consider supporting local journalism with a digital subscription to the Caller-Times.
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