FRANKLIN COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — Another county in the Florida Panhandle is reporting a positive case of the novel coronavirus.
The Florida Department of Health in Franklin County (FDOH-Franklin) announced its first positive case of COVID-19 Friday. The individual is a 25-year-old female and a non-Florida resident from New York.
According to the FDOH-Franklin, the woman did seek medical care, is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by officials.
FDOH-Franklin also stated the information below in the release on its first positive case:
Public health efforts at this time are focused concurrently on containing the spread of this virus and mitigating the impact of this virus. A technique called contact tracing is frequently used during such efforts. Contact tracing tracks and prevents the spread of disease. Infectious disease specialists work to find everyone who has been in contact with the positive case. Persons identified to be at-risk through the contact tracing process are interviewed, evaluated, and educated on their risk factors and what to do.
DOH-Franklin encourages our residents and visitors to take steps to protect themselves from respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19.
What should I do if I (or someone in my family) might have COVID-19?
If you think you need to be tested for COVID-19, call your health care provider and tell them about your symptoms and your travel history or exposure to a COVID-19 patient. It is important to call ahead before visiting your health care provider. Offices must take proper steps to avoid further spread of COVID-19 when a concerned patient arrives for a medical evaluation. If you are without health insurance or a health care provider, please contact your county health department so the health department can coordinate your medical evaluation and testing.
- To be prioritized for testing, patients must meet CDC criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors. These samples will be sent to the closest laboratory.
- If you don’t meet priority criteria, you can discuss with your provider about possibly getting tested at a commercial laboratory (e.g. LabCorp or Quest).
What should I do if I recently traveled to an area with an outbreak of COVID-19?
If you are returning from an area with an outbreak of COVID-19, the CDC is recommending you self-isolate for 14 days immediately upon returning from your travels, even if asymptomatic (no symptoms). Follow the CDC steps to help protect other people in your home and community: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html
If you develop a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as cough or shortness of breath during those 14 days, contact your health care professional and mention your recent travel. Your provider will work with the health department to determine if you need to be tested for COVID-19. If you have had close contact with someone showing these symptoms who has recently traveled from an impacted area, you should call a health care professional and mention your close contact and their recent travel.
How long does it take to recover from COVID-19?
Most individuals who test positive for COVID-19 are able to recover at home. Individuals will be asked to remain at home, except to get medical care. Stay in touch with your doctor if you feel worse or you think it is an emergency. Peoplewith COVID-19 who have stayed home can stop home isolation under the following conditions:
- You have had no fever for at least 72 hours (that is three full days of no fever without the use medicine that reduces fevers)
AND - Other symptoms have improved (for example, when your cough or shortness of breath have improved)
AND - At least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared
A test-based strategy is preferred for discontinuation of transmission-based precautions for patients who are hospitalized or severely immunocompromised or being transferred to a long-term care or assisted living facility.
