FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MCDH announces two new COVID-19 cases
WOODSTOCK – McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) has confirmed two additional COVID-19 cases in McHenry County.
The two residents, both are females, one in her 40’s the other in her 50’s, were confirmed to have the virus Tuesday. Both cases are considered to be community acquired as neither have a history of travel to a high risk country or had contact with a known COVID-19 case.
The county’s two previous cases announced in early March, a male in his late teens and a man in his 60s, have recovered and have been released from isolation.
MCDH Public Health Administrator, Melissa Adamson, said she is pleased that the two former cases have made a recovery, but it is now clear that community spread of the virus is present throughout the county.
“We have made it a priority to maintain the privacy of any and all confirmed cases that occur in our county,” Adamson said. “Now that we have community spread, our county residents should be focusing on making plans in the event that they or their loved ones become ill.”
Dr. Laura Buthod, medical advisor for MCDH, stated that social distancing and frequent and thorough hand washing are the most important steps in preventing illness. If someone develops symptoms of cough and fever, they should stay home and isolate themselves from others. Should symptoms worsen, they should contact their healthcare providers immediately.
“Testing for COVID-19 is currently limited, and we must prioritize the available tests for our most vulnerable in the community,” Buthod said. “We must understand that more testing will be available in the future, but today we have to be good citizens and not demand testing when we are not ill or have mild symptoms.”
Get the latest guidance by visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/index.html or by visiting www.mcdh.info. For general questions about COVID-19, call the IDPH hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
