OSWEGO, NY – Oswego County Public Health Director Jiancheng Huang announced today, Nov. 27, that 110 additional residents have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of positive cases to 1,716.
One thousand two hundred seventeen people have been released from isolation.
There are five confirmed COVID-19 related deaths in Oswego County.
The 110 positive cases reported today are a combined total from Thursday, Nov. 26 (32) and today (78).
Oswego County Public Health Director Jiancheng Huang pointed out that today is another record-breaking number for a single day report. He said that the community’s weak point in this COVID pandemic are the people who choose not to practice protective measures such as social distancing and wearing a face covering.
“It is widely believed that four steps can protect communities from COVID-19 and as so restore the economy,” said Huang, who is an epidemiologist. “The four steps are:1). Personal preventive measures; 2). Testing; 3). Contact tracing; and 4). Quarantine and isolation. As our community has seen a continuous increase of positive cases reported, stopping the spread of the COVID-19 virus and avoiding a general lockdown depends on these important measures.
“Our testing capacity has increased greatly in Oswego County through recent private, non-profit and public collaborative efforts, and it will continue to increase in the coming weeks,” said Huang. “For many months, the County Health Department has diligently conducted contact tracing and identified those who should be quarantined and isolated. Our community’s weak point is personal preventive measures. It is critical that community members take action to join our collective efforts in making our community and economy healthy.”
This report is current as of 3 p.m. Nov. 27.
Please know that these numbers fluctuate frequently. Recovered people are not deducted from the total number of positive cases.
– Total # of tests conducted: 78,577
– Total # of positive cases: 1,716
– Total # of positive cases released: 1,217
– Total deaths: 5
– Total # of positive cases active: 494
– Total # of negative results: 76,715
– Total # of people in mandatory isolation/quarantine: 1,109
Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup said the virus is rampant throughout the county and people should assume they can be exposed to COVID anywhere they go in Central New York.
“All of us working together can help prevent the pandemic from becoming dramatically worse,” said Legislature Chairman Weatherup. “Please keep yourself safe and take personal responsibility so we can avoid additional restrictions and future shutdowns. Please do your part to protect yourselves, your families and your communities.”
Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, chills, repeated shaking with chills, gastrointestinal illness and new loss of taste or smell.
Senior Public Health Educator Diane Oldenburg emphasizes, “If you are sick, it is important that you stay home and isolate yourself from other household members. Those who are sick should sleep alone in a separate room, designate a separate bathroom for their use, or disinfect the bathroom after each use. Wash your hands
frequently, cover your coughs and sneezes, wear a mask if you must be in common areas of the household, and keep six feet apart whenever possible.”
Health officials strongly urge residents to take these precautions:
– Stay home if you are sick and keep your children home if they are sick.
– Wear a face mask or covering over your nose and mouth.
– Avoid non-essential gatherings of all types.
– Keep six feet from other people.
– Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating.
– Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash.
– Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
– Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
– Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
– Call your healthcare provider from home if you are experiencing symptoms such as a fever, cough or shortness of breath.
– Do not go to the emergency department unless you are experiencing life-threatening conditions.
A list of testing sites and additional information is posted on the health department’s COVID-19 page at health.oswegocounty.com/covid-19.