Herkimer County Overwhelmed With Positive COVID-19 Cases

Herkimer County is currently experiencing a large and quickly increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases. Public Health is having difficulty keeping up with the large volume despite best efforts.

According to the latest Press Release, Herkimer County has over 1000 positive cases since 3/13/2020 with 351 active cases of the coronavirus. The county is now prioritizing case investigation/follow-up according to CDC guidance. Not everyone with a positive result, or contacts of a positive individual, will be contacted so please follow the below procedure:

1. If you have received a positive test result:

Isolate yourself from family, friends, and/or roommates for 10 days from the date of your test or follow Public Health’s instructions.
Notify your contacts that they should quarantine and monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days from the date they last were in contact with the positive case.

2. If you are awaiting test results:

Isolate yourself until you receive your results. If you receive a positive result, follow the above instructions. If negative, continue to wear a mask, stay socially distanced, and wash your hands.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or a runny nose, nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea.

If you are awaiting a COVID-19 test result or have a positive test and need to seek medical attention, please notify the healthcare facility of your test results before just going.

If you contact a positive and develop symptoms, contact your primary care provider for further guidance on testing. If you are a high-risk individual, contact your doctor even if symptoms are mild.

Testing sites can also be located by going to https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you.