News Flash

For Immediate Release

12/23/2020                        

Phone: 980-432-1800
Website: www.rowancountync.gov/covid-19
Email: covid-19@rowancountync.gov

Rowan County Case Information: https://bit.ly/rowan-covid19-hub

What to do after receiving a COVID19 test

For many of you who have come in contact with someone who is COVID positive and/or you start feeling bad, you may be confused or hesitant in whether you need or you want to get tested for COVID-19. Please do the responsible thing and get tested, especially if you have the following symptoms:

• Fever or chills
• A cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Loss of taste or smell
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea 

Please note that these symptoms may be mild to severe and may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Also, please realize that you may be COVID positive and not have any symptoms, but you still can infect others around you and not even know that you are.

What happens after you get tested? 

As a part of being a responsible citizen, you should self-quarantine yourself and stay at home until you receive your test results. Once your test results are known to our COVID-19 Team, someone from Rowan County Public Health will contact you with additional instructions. At that time, a member of our COVID-19 Team will either share with you that are negative and you free to return to work or school; or that you are positive and you will need to stay in self-isolation.  Please note that if you are positive, our COVID-19 Team will also need to know the following things from you, which will help us in our contact tracing:

• Your symptoms
• Any pre-existing conditions
• If you have been hospitalized since being tested
• Your travel history
• Whether or not you are in school
• Whether you live in a congregate care facility
• Your place of employment
• Do you work in a healthcare facility
• Who lives in your home
• Who you have come in contact with 48 hours before your symptoms appeared; or if you are asymptomatic and have no symptoms, who you were in contact with 48 hours before getting tested

If you are found to be COVID-19 positive, you should:

• Stay at home, except to get emergency medical care. People who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to recover at home, but should not leave or visit public areas.
• Separate yourself from other people in your home; and as much as possible, stay in a specific “sick room.” Use a separate bathroom, if available. Also, limit any contact with your pets and animals, knowing that COVID-19 can also be passed along to them.
• If you have a medical appointment, please call your doctor’s office and tell them you are COVID positive. Most likely, they will want you to reschedule your appointment or they may suggest that you visit with them using your computer and the telehealth features of their practice.
• Always wear a cloth covering over your nose and mouth, especially if you must be around other people or animals. Please note that you don’t need to wear the cloth face covering, if you live by yourself.
• Try to stay at least 6 feet away from other people, even in your home.
• Always cover your coughs and sneezes, wash your hands often, and avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.
• Do not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people in your home. Wash all of these items thoroughly after use.
• Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in your “sick room” and bathroom every day with household cleaners and disinfectants, using as directed on the label. Also, ask someone else to clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in other areas of your home. 
• Make sure to get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, take over-the-counter medicine to help with any pain and/or to help reduce one’s fever, as well as take vitamins* to help boost your immune system. *Please always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting any vitamins or supplements. They may interact with your prescriptions and cause you harm.
• Monitor your symptoms and seek medical care if they are worsening (for example, if you have difficulty breathing). Please call your doctor or emergency department before going. 

If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19, please get medical attention immediately and call 911. Emergency warning signs include* the following:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion 
• Inability to wake or stay awake
• Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider; or better yet, call 9-1-1 for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.

So when can you come out of self-isolation?

If you have symptoms, whether you have or have not been tested, stay home until:

• At least 10 days have passed since your symptoms first began AND
• At least 24 hours have passed since there has been no fever without use of fever-reducing medication AND
• There has been improvement in other symptoms.
• If you are severely immunocompromised, consult with your healthcare provider to determine if a longer timeframe may be recommended.

If you have no symptoms and lab-confirmed COVID-19, stay home until at least 10 days have passed since the date of your first positive test. However, if you develop symptoms in that time period, refer instead to the criteria for people with symptoms (please see above). 

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Contact:
Amy Smith
704-216-8859
amy.smith@rowancountync.gov

Download Media Release COVID-19 - December 23, 2020 (PDF)