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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.17.20 Email from Danette York - Testing messaging From:York, Danette To:Kim, Sang;Ring, Brian;Pickett, Andy;Hatcher, Casey;Jessee, Meegan;Alpert, Bruce;Bennett, Robin;Clerk of the Board;Connelly, Bill;Cook, Holly;Lambert, Steve;Lucero, Debra;McCracken, Shari;Ring, Brian;Ritter, Tami;Rodas, Amalia;Sweeney, Kathleen;Teeter, Doug;Dept Heads;Asst Dept Heads;Shelton, Mark Subject:Testing messaging Date:Tuesday, March 17, 2020 9:17:45 PM Attachments:What are Test Kits.docx Please share widely. Sincerely, Danette York Public Health Director BUTTE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH 202 Mira Loma Drive | Oroville, CA 95965 T:530.552.3820 “Nationally Accredited, 09/13/17” FACEBOOK | TWITTER COUNTY OF BUTTE E-MAIL DISCLAIMER: This e-mail and any attachment thereto may contain private, confidential, and privileged material for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, copying, or distribution of this e-mail (or any attachments thereto) by other than the County of Butte or the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you are NOT the intended recipient, please contact the sender immediately and permanently delete the original and any copies of this e-mail and any attachments thereto. From: York, Danette <DYork@buttecounty.net> Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 7:45 AM To: Kim, Sang <skim@buttecounty.net>; Ring, Brian <bring@buttecounty.net>; Pickett, Andy <APickett@buttecounty.net>; Hatcher, Casey <CHatcher@buttecounty.net>; Jessee, Meegan <Mjessee@buttecounty.net>; BOS <BOS@buttecounty.net>; Dept Heads <DeptHeads@buttecounty.net>; Asst Dept Heads <AsstDeptHeads@buttecounty.net>; Shelton, Mark <MWShelton@buttecounty.net> Subject: COVID-19 Daily Update from Public Health See attached and feel free to share Sincerely, Danette York Public Health Director BUTTE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH 202 Mira Loma Drive | Oroville, CA 95965 T:530.552.3820 “Nationally Accredited, 09/13/17” FACEBOOK | TWITTER COUNTY OF BUTTE E-MAIL DISCLAIMER: This e-mail and any attachment thereto may contain private, confidential, and privileged material for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, copying, or distribution of this e-mail (or any attachments thereto) by other than the County of Butte or the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you are NOT the intended recipient, please contact the sender immediately and permanently delete the original and any copies of this e-mail and any attachments thereto. Public Health Administration Danette York, M.P.H., Director Andy Miller, M.D., Health Officer 202 Mira Loma Drive T: 530.552.4000 buttecounty.net/publichealth Oroville, California 95965 F: 530.538.2164 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Information about Testing March 17, 2020 Lab Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in Butte County: ZERO What are test Kits? Test kits are the items that laboratories need to process a sample sent from a healthcare provider o COVID-19 o Test kits are ordered and/or sent to Labs, NOT healthcare providers Who gets test kits? Labs that have the proper equipment and are certified to perform COVID-19 tests o Currently there are NO labs in Butte County that are equipped to perform COVID-19 tests o Due to the generosity of the North Valley Community Foundation (NVCF) Butte County Public Health Lab is in the process of obtaining the equipment and material necessary to get certified and perform the COVID-19 tests. o During the process, lab staff will be ordering test kits so they will be ready to start testing immediately upon certification What is the process to get tested? At this time (this could potentially change) the process is as follows: o A sick individual seeks medical attention from a healthcare provider o The healthcare provider performs a clinical assessment and makes the determination whether a COVID-19 test is needed o IF the healthcare provider determines the patient should be tested they will take a sample from the patient The sample is obtained by swabbing the nose or throat of the patient The sample is then sent to a certified lab for the sample to be processed (tested) The results of the test is shared with the healthcare provider IF the result is positive for COVID-19 the result is also shared with the local public health department 1 Public Health Administration Danette York, M.P.H., Director Andy Miller, M.D., Health Officer 202 Mira Loma Drive T: 530.552.4000 buttecounty.net/publichealth Oroville, California 95965 F: 530.538.2164 General Questions and Answers? Do I have to be sick in order to get a test? Yes. People who should be tested for COVID-19 are those with symptoms who have traveled to an affected area with COVID-19 or had close contact with a person with confirmed COVID-19, or those who have severe symptoms with no known exposure. Call ahead: If you fall under these categories and believe you could have COVID-19, notify your healthcare provider by phone. Call ahead so that you can be safely evaluated to prevent exposing others. Can I call or go to the Health Department to get tested? No. Testing must be ordered by a Healthcare Provider. Can I go to the Public Health lab to get tested? No. Testing must be ordered by a Healthcare Provider. If I have mild symptoms, should I seek medical attention? No. People with mild symptoms, who are not sick enough to be hospitalized, do not need to be tested. As we would recommend for anyone with a respiratory illness, if you are ill, you should avoid close contact with others and remain at home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone. How long does it take to get the test results back? Typically turnaround time for COVID-19 lab test results is 1-3 days. A variety of factors affect testing turnaround time. Once the Public Health lab is capable of performing these tests, the process will be expedited for Butte County. Important COVID-19 Resources: Butte County Public Health California Department of Public Health (CDPH) The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Butte County residents call also call 2-1-1 or text your zip code to 898211 for COVID-19 information and updates. 2