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2nd Life Claimed

North County Resident In His 70s Falls To Coronavirus

A second resident of Chautauqua County has died due to complications with the coronavirus, the county Department of Health and Human Services said Monday.

The individual, a male in his 70s, resided in the northern part of the county. The first virus-related death, involving a north county man in his 80s who was tested and being treated at an Erie, Pa., hospital, was announced on March 30.

The county Health Department also announced one new confirmed case of COVID-19, a male in his 40s, bringing the total locally to 19. As of Monday, the county was monitoring 10 active cases involving individuals who continue to recover in quarantine.

Two additional county residents also have fully recovered from the virus, bringing the total recovering to seven.

To date, 91 people are under quarantine or are in isolation and are being monitored; not all of those being monitored are confirmed to have the virus, but have either shown symptoms, are awaiting results or have risk factors.

Of all tests administered since the outbreak, 199 have come back negative.

“Chautauqua County Public Health staff is conducting investigations to identify close contacts of positive COVID-19 cases,” the county Department of Health said in its daily update.

Following state guidelines, contact tracing will now begin 48 hours before the day the person with the positive test started having symptoms. “NYSDOH deems this the beginning of the infections period. Once identified, our department notifies the close contacts of their potential exposure to COVID-19 and they are placed under mandatory or precautionary quarantine to monitor for symptoms. If you do not personally hear from a public health nurse, you are not a close contact of an individual who has been confirmed to have COVID-19.”

The county Health Department said testing supplies and personal protective equipment, used when doing a test and treating infected patients, continue to be in low supply across the state and especially in rural areas where population density is low. At this time, tests “must be prioritized for hospitalized patients, ill healthcare workers, and those who have underlying health conditions,” the county said.

At the moment, there are three locations in Chautauqua County where outpatient testing is performed: UPMC’s Jones Hill Center; and The Chautauqua Center in Jamestown and Dunkirk.

Testing is not done without a healthcare provider’s order.

Federal and state officials are now recommending the wearing of homemade masks or scarves by the general public. “This act will protect the public from your respiratory droplets,” the county said. “It is now estimated that 30% of those infected with coronavirus don’t know they are infected. This is one more step to try and decrease the spread of coronavirus.”

In Cattaraugus County, health officials announced its 10th confirmed case of the virus. The case involves a man living in the southeastern part of the county with no significant travel history who was admitted to Olean General Hospital on Friday with a fever, cough, weakness, chest and abdominal pains.

The man was tested upon admission, and the positive test came back Sunday.

“The department has begun a thorough contact tracing investigation for those individuals that he has been in contact with and the places that he visited,” the county Health Department. “We continue to ask our residents to bunker down, and avoid any non-essential travel, especially to areas where there is community wide spread of COVID-19 otherwise, you place your family and other Cattaraugus County residents at risk. If travel is necessary, please wear a homemade cloth face mask while in public and maintain social distancing, at least 6 feet away from other people.

“We would like to reiterate that if any resident experience fever, cough, shortness of breath or whole body aches they should contact their health care provider (avoid going directly to an Urgent Care facility, or the Emergency Room before calling).”

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