Columbia County Department of Health Update

UPDATE 4:15 PM- Late afternoon results bring our total positives to 205

As of 3 PM on April 30, 2020:
– Columbia County has had 13 community members that have passed away from COVID-19
-188 positive cases of COVID-19
-92 of the 188 cases have recovered from COVID-19
– 14 of the positive cases are hospitalized, 6 of those hospitalized are in the ICU
-We have received 1,338 test results completed for Columbia County residents
-138 residents are under mandatory quarantine and 21 under precautionary quarantine

Columbia County Update

COLUMBIA COUNTY DOH TESTING KIT RESEARCH ONGOING

With developments on various COVID-19 testing kits and their availability continuing to expand, Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb said on Thursday that DOH is performing ongoing extensive due diligence on the different tests, their capabilities, and their accuracy. “We are very aware the public is eager for more information on testing, and for more testing to occur, and we are in that same position,” Mabb said. “Before spending precious funds on the next order of kits, we want to be certain that they are the correct tests for us. Inaccurate results would do no one any good.” The county DOH will continue to issue updates on its research and where it’s leading as the process proceeds.

MASKS NOT REQUIRED UNDER AGE 2 OR FOR MEDICAL REASONS

In mid-April, the wearing of a face covering became mandatory when six feet of distance cannot be maintained between yourself and others, County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell noted Thursday. “Any individual who is over the age of two and able to medically tolerate a face-covering shall be required to cover their nose and mouth with a mask or cloth face-covering when in a public place and unable to maintain, or when not maintaining, social distance,” explained Austerlitz Town Supervisor and county Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Rob Lagonia. “However, if a face covering would inhibit or otherwise impair an individual’s health, or if an individual is not older than two years of age, an individual is not required to wear or use such a covering. Further, essential business operators and enforcement authorities are prohibited from requesting or requiring medical or other documentation from an individual who declines to wear a face covering due to a medical or other health condition that prevents such usage,” he said. Added Lagonia, “This does not represent an excuse to not wear a mask.” “As our health officials have pointed out, a mask protects us from one another in the event someone sneezes or coughs – this is a critical piece in the fight against the coronavirus, and it has proven to work,” Murell said.