Oswego County Confirms Two Positive Cases Of COVID-19

OSWEGO COUNTY – Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup announced this afternoon that Oswego County was notified of two positive cases of COVID-19 this afternoon, March 22.

Additional information will be announced at a video conference via Facebook Live at 5 p.m. at www.facebook.com/oswegocounty/.

The video link will be live at 4:55 p.m.

UPDATE 3/22/20 5:10 p.m. —

In a Facebook Live video, Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup, along with other county officials and healthcare professionals discussed the two positive cases of COVID-19 in Oswego County.

The two individuals were tested March 18 and have been in precautionary quarantine in their homes. One was tested at Upstate University Hospital and the other was tested at the mobile testing site at Oswego Hospital.

The two cases are unrelated. They are between the ages of 20 and 40 years old. Both had recently returned from international and domestic traveling.

The Oswego County Health Department is working with the State Health Department to identify contacts of the infected patients.

Weatherup encouraged residents to continue washing their hands, practicing social distancing and other preventative measures.

Christina Liepke with Oswego Health reminded residents that influenza and other viral illnesses are still more common at this point.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, call your doctor or the Oswego County COVID-19 Hotline at 315-349-3330.

To watch the full video, view it here.

UPDATE 3/22/20 4:50 p.m.– 

*Press release from Oswego County Tourism.

The Oswego County Health Department and community partners continue to monitor and respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. This report is current as of 4:10 p.m. on Sunday, March 22:

• Total # people tested: 104
• Total # of people in precautionary quarantine: 65
• Total # of negative results: 50
• Total # of positive cases: 2
• Pending results: 54

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. The county health department follows NYS Department of Health guidelines for who should be quarantined and tested for coronavirus.

Testing for COVID-19 is authorized when:

• A person has been quarantined and develops signs and symptoms.
• A person has a negative flu test and respiratory panel and has signs and symptoms.
• A person has traveled to a level 2 or 3 country (currently China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Europe or United States hotspots such as New Rochelle, New York City, Westchester County, and Seattle) in the last 14 days and has signs and symptoms.
• A person has had close contact with a confirmed case and has signs and symptoms.
• A physician has ruled out other causes and feels testing is warranted.

“If you have symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath please call your healthcare provider from home,” said Huang. “If you do not have a healthcare provider, please call Oswego County’s COVID-19 hotline at 315-349-3330. Do not go to urgent care or emergency departments unless you are experiencing life-threatening symptoms.”

For more information about coronavirus, visit the Oswego County Health Department at health.oswegocounty.com/covid-19. Additional questions can be directed to the NYS COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-364-3065 or the Oswego County Health Department COVID-19 hotline at 315-349-3330.

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