Press Release;
“Due to the high volume of COVID-19 case reports in recent days exceeding the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health) and NYS contact tracing capacity to individually contact every Genesee and Orleans County resident with a positive COVID-19 test result GO Health and New York State are making some adjustments,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.
New York State Department of Health has also announced that beginning next week changes will be implemented to case investigation and contact tracing. Please be advised this guidance may change. “The surge in positive COVID-19 cases brought on by the Omicron variant, the availability of home testing and the need to prioritize our resources has led us to make significant changes in our COVID-19 response, including suspending contact tracing for the general population ages 19-64. For those in schools or congregate settings, who are under the age of 18 and over the age of 64, due to the higher risk of spread and severity, contact tracing will continue as capacity allows” stated Pettit.
Effective Monday, January 10th, residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 OR have had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 will be able to visit www.GOHealthNY.org and choose the red COVID-19 Isolation & Quarantine Information button to be directed to the isolation and quarantine documents. For those who have tested positive for COVID-19, you will be contacted by NYS by e-mail or text. Once you are notified of your positive results by the lab or NYS, immediately self-isolate and notify your close contacts of their potential exposure. For those in the 19-64 age group, who test positive you should no longer expect to receive a call from the local health department, nor do you need to call the local health department. Please follow the general directions that NYS provides for isolation and quarantine and contact your healthcare provider for medical advice.
New Protocol for Genesee and Orleans CountiesIf you are in need of isolation, quarantine or release documents, they are available on the GO Health website. Complete the form(s) and print it out for your employer or school.
Isolation (for those who test positive for COVID-19)
If you test positive for COVID-19:
- Isolate for 5 days, where day 0 is the day of symptom onset or (if asymptomatic) the day of collection of the first positive specimen.
- If asymptomatic at the end of 5 days or if symptoms are resolving, isolation ends and the individual should wear a well-fitting mask while around others for an additional 5 days.
- Individuals who are moderately-severely immunocompromised should continue to follow standard (i.e., not shortened) Isolation Guidance.
- Individuals who are unable to wear a well-fitting mask for 5 days after a 5-day isolation should also follow standard isolation guidance (i.e., 10 days, not shortened)
- Quarantine (for those who have had close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19)
- Quarantine as follows, where day 0 is the last date of exposure:
- If not fully vaccinated or fully vaccinated and eligible for a booster but not yet boosted, quarantine for 5 days and wear a well-fitting mask while around others for an additional 5 days.
- If fully vaccinated and boosted (with the booster at least 2 weeks before the first date of exposure) or not yet eligible for a booster, no quarantine is required but these individuals should wear a well-fitting mask while around others for 10 days after the last date of exposure.
- If possible, test at day 5 with either a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT, e.g., PCR) or antigen test.
- If symptoms appear, quarantine and seek testing. In this situation, quarantine would end when the test is negative. If testing is not done, isolate according to the guidance above.
Quarantine orders and release are also included on the GOHealthNY.org website for you to complete and provide to your employer/school.
Given the changes announced for case investigation and contact tracing our data collection/reporting will be adjusted. Starting next week, GO Health will be releasing limited data on Wednesdays. For COVID-19 data please visit the NYS site: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-data-new-york.
