As you may or may not have heard, we officially crossed into the HIGH level of community transmission today here in Norfolk County, along with multiple other counties within the state. There have been no vertical increases in any of the metrics that we monitor, but instead, we have had a slow, daily uptick in cases. Positivity rates have increased more than other metrics. Hospitalizations, hospital bed utilization, intubations and deaths remain at low levels but wastewater continues to forecast a continued uptick in cases.
These are the recommendations from the Sharon Board of Health:
When Norfolk County COVID-19 Community level is HIGH:
- We strongly recommend that everyone two years of age and older wear a well-fitting, high-quality mask indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status.
- If you are immunocompromised or at high risk of severe illness, we recommend you wear a mask or respirator (e.g., a N95 or KN95) and consider additional precautions, such as avoiding nonessential indoor activities. Talk with your individual health care provider about what additional precautions you should take.
- If you live with someone or have frequent contact with someone who is at high risk of severe illness, we recommend you consider self-testing prior to contact and consider wearing a high-quality mask when indoors with them.
- Have a plan for rapid testing (e.g., have home tests on hand or access to local testing sites).
- When spending time in a crowded or densely populated indoor setting, we recommend wearing a well-fitting mask.
Ongoing Recommendations:
- Stay home if sick!
- Wash hands frequently and with exuberance!
- Practice respiratory etiquette (cover coughs or sneezes).
- Get vaccinated if you are able, get boosted if you are due to stay up to date.
- Make a plan for testing- rapid at home antigen testing is the easiest and fastest way to get results. They are available at pharmacies, grocery stores, and for free through the US Postal Service.
Additional details:
Day zero is the day of a positive test (not when the results of the test were received) for someone who has no symptoms. Day zero is the day symptoms start (for someone who later tests positive).
Once you are positive- isolate at home (sleep in a different room, don’t eat meals together, etc) for 5 days.
If you have the ability to test- do it on day 5- if you are positive, remain at home- in isolation- and retest in 1-2 days. If you do not have the ability to test but are feeling better, symptoms are improving and you have needed no fever reducing medication for over 24 hours, you can return to public with STRICT mask wearing through Day 10.
The difference between PCR testing (where you go to a lab or CVS etc) is that the PCR can remain positive for up to 90 days from infection and rapid at home antigen testing is telling you about having enough virus in your body (viral load) to infect someone at that moment and you have the results in approximately 15 minutes.
