By Crystal Malchose, PIO Pottawatomie CountyThis is an informational feature supported by the Pottawatomie County Commission to assist in providing educational information regarding the COVID-19 virus to citizens.With school preparing to start, we wanted to ensure citizens knew how “contact tracing” works when an individual tests positive for COVID-19. This is how the Pottawatomie County Health Department conducts their contact tracing. We do not assert this is how other Counties or entities process their information.Pottawatomie County Health Officer Liz Parthemer shares these steps followed:When the Pottawatomie County Health Department receives notice of a positive case, they contact the individual (or parent/guardian if the person is a minor) and start an investigation. Part of this investigation is obtaining information regarding close contacts. A close contact has been, and still is considered someone who has been within six feet of the positive individual for longer than ten minutes (even if wearing a mask), those ten minutes do not have to be consecutive. The data gathered about the close contacts includes the names and demographic information. The close contacts are called and our representatives (Contact Tracers) identify themselves and notify the individual he/she was a close contact of a positive case (no name is given). The representative then explains the quarantine process. The 14 day quarantine begins the date of the last known contact, or if it is an on-going contact (such as someone that lives in the same home), then quarantine starts the day the positive case is released from isolation. The close contact is communicated with throughout the quarantine period to ensure compliance and check on signs or symptoms. If the contact starts to have symptoms then information is provided on where testing can be done.Individual schools may provide additional information, such as notifying parents someone at the school has tested positive, but may not release any personal identifying information about the specific person. This is to protect the individual who tested positive, and is mandated by law, not a school board decision

COVID Corner