Write a commentOswego County Legislature Chairman Jim Weatherup today announced that Oswego County’s COVID-19 dashboard has been expanded to include more detailed information about COVID-19 trends in Oswego County.
The first positive COVID-19 cases in Oswego County were reported to the Oswego County Health Department on March 22, 2020. The dashboard displays daily test reports beginning March 1, as well as the total number of people who have required hospitalization since Oswego County residents were confirmed to have coronavirus. A map displays cumulative numbers of cases in towns and cities around the county in increments of 5 and 10.
“Oswego County is very cognizant of our responsibility to balance our citizens’ right to privacy with the community’s desire for information during this public health crisis,” said Legislature Chairman Weatherup. “We are a rural county with a much smaller population and very different demographics than Onondaga and many other counties. Providing this level of detail earlier in our response activities would have jeopardized the privacy of those infected with coronavirus. We are now at a level where providing additional details on our site dashboard is not likely to put our patients’ and their families’ personal information at risk.”
Jiancheng Huang, Public Health Director of the Oswego County Health Department, said regardless of the number of cases in any community, the virus is still being transmitted and everyone needs to continue to follow preventive measures.
“Anyone can get this virus. People who don’t follow the CDC and Health Department guidelines are putting themselves and everyone else at risk of becoming infected,” said Huang. “Even if you are not exhibiting symptoms, if you aren’t wearing a mask and physical distancing, you can bring the virus to your loved ones, your work associates, your customers, and other people in in the community.”
Dave Turner, Director of the County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning, said a senior planner in his department has been working closely with the County Health Department to incorporate day-to-day data in the new charts displaying the many metrics tracked by the health department. The dashboard platform is updated with test results Monday through Friday. Other indicators will be updated periodically.
The dashboard can be accessed directly at https://arcg.is/1eObv5 and https://arcg.is/0vjrny on a mobile device. Both sites can also be accessed through the County Health Department’s COVID-19 page at https://health.oswegocounty.com/covid-19.
As of Aug. 11, the health department reported that 29,936 tests had been administered to Oswego County residents, and 259 positive cases were reported since March 22. Four county residents have died from COVID-19; 249 residents have recovered. On Aug. 11 there were six active cases, with 73 people in mandatory isolation or quarantined. There had been 25 county residents hospitalized since the beginning of the pandemic, and 29,473 negative test results. The health department reported 73 total positive antibody tests and 3,073 negative antibody tests since antibody testing became available.
Legislature Chairman Weatherup urges all residents to continue to follow the recommendations of the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the State and County Health Departments:
- Wear a face mask or covering over your nose and mouth.
- Avoid large public gatherings.
- 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.
- Stay home if you are sick unless you are seeking health care.
- Call your healthcare provider from home if you are experiencing symptoms such as a fever, cough or shortness of breath.
- Call 911 if you are experiencing life-threatening conditions.
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. People experiencing these symptoms should contact their health care provider.
New York State provides online links to report violations of health and safety restrictions and requirements for businesses, gatherings and individuals. To file a complaint about a business, location or incident in your community, or to file a complaint against your employer or place of work, go to the state website.
Additional questions may be directed to the Oswego County Health Department COVID-19 hotline at 315-349-3330 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For information about emotional supports, visit the Oswego County Department of Social Services Division of Mental Hygiene at www.oswegocounty.com/mentalhygiene.
Oswego County presents videos highlighting various COVID-19 topics on Tuesday afternoons. They are posted on Oswego County's COVID-19 play list on YouTube, Facebook, and the county government web site at oswegocounty.com.
Residents are asked to continue monitoring reliable sources of information. Go to oswegocounty.com or health.oswegocounty.com/covid-19 for the latest news releases, updates, and video presentations.
