OSWEGO, NY – Oswego County Public Health Director Jiancheng Huang announced today, Dec. 3, that 72 additional residents have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of positive cases to 2,095.
“The recent rise in positive cases is disproportionate to the population size and density of our county,” said Huang. “We are a small rural county with limited resources. Our staff is working seven days a week to quickly investigate cases and prevent the virus from spreading. Other county departments have been coming to support the Health Department as well.”
He asked that everyone in the community “support public health and our health care providers by cooperating with contact tracers, following isolation and quarantine orders, and doing what they can to prevent the spread of the virus. We all need to make sure that our first responder and emergency medical systems remain intact in this wave of COVID-19 surge.”
This report is current as of 3 p.m. Dec. 3.
Please know that these numbers fluctuate frequently. Recovered people are not deducted from the total number of positive cases.
– Total # of tests conducted: 83,360
– Total # of positive cases: 2,095
– Total # of positive cases released: 1,601
– Total deaths: 5
– Total # of positive cases active: 489
– Total # of negative results: 80,993
– Total # of people in mandatory isolation/quarantine: 1,254
Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup said the virus is rampant throughout the county and people should assume they can be exposed to COVID anywhere they go in Central New York.
“All of us working together can help prevent the pandemic from becoming dramatically worse,” said Chairman Weatherup. “Please keep yourself safe and take personal responsibility so we can avoid additional restrictions and future shutdowns. Please do your part to protect yourselves, your families and your communities.”
Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, chills, repeated shaking with chills, gastrointestinal illness and new loss of taste or smell. Senior Public Health Educator Diane Oldenburg emphasizes, “If you are sick, it is important that you stay home and isolate yourself from other household members. Those who are sick should sleep alone in a separate room, designate a separate bathroom for their use, or disinfect the bathroom after each use. Wash your hands frequently, cover your coughs and sneezes, wear a mask if you must be in common areas of the household, and keep six feet apart whenever possible.”
Health officials strongly urge residents to take these precautions:
– Stay home if you are sick and keep your children home if they are sick.
– Wear a face mask or covering over your nose and mouth.
– Avoid non-essential gatherings of all types.
– Keep six feet from other people.
– Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating.
– Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash.
– Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
– Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
– Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
– Call your healthcare provider from home if you are experiencing symptoms such as a fever, cough or shortness of breath.
– Do not go to the emergency department unless you are experiencing life-threatening conditions.
A list of testing sites and additional information is posted on the health department’s COVID-19 page at health.oswegocounty.com/covid-19.