COVID-19 is considered a pandemic, meaning it is prevalent over the world. This allows us to learn from other countries regarding how to best reduce the transmission of the virus. At the health department, we have utilized these six steps to drive our response to COVID-19. Since every pandemic is also a local event, and we are months into the pandemic, we can now look at these steps to explore how our community is responding.
- Take COVID-19 seriously: Our community started strong by closing schools, encouraging telework, advising at-risk populations to stay home, mandating a Stay at Home order, and closing some non-essential businesses. While starting off strong even before community spread of COVID-19, some of the community has now become bored, fatigued, and feel the hard-hitting financial impact which results in being eager to go out despite the continuing presence of the virus. It is a challenge for all of us to maintain an attitude of respect for this virus when we’d all rather ignore its presence.
- Make testing extensive and affordable: Testing capacity started out as a struggle, with a lack of affordable and extensive testing opportunities. There was a shortage of test kits, supplies, laboratories, etc. Early on, testing was limited to those considered very vulnerable to the disease. We have come a long way, and testing is now available through numerous healthcare providers and partners.
- Trace and isolate positive cases: We are doing well in this arena. We quickly built our epidemiology response team from one person to a team that includes three epidemiologists, an infectious disease physician, public health nurses, support staff, and volunteers. Each positive COVID-19 case has a case investigation conducted to determine all close contacts during the contagious period. Contact tracing involves advising contacts to isolation or quarantine depending on one’s level of exposure and risk. Robust efforts for cases, clusters, and outbreaks, are constantly underway.
- Implement early social distancing: Our community started strong with the help of the Stay at Home order. Cases were somewhat under control, and we were seeing our major outbreaks primarily in locations where it is difficult to practice social distancing. Now that businesses are reopening, we are seeing an increase in positive cases. New cases are primarily related to outbreaks and close contacts of new cases.
- Keep the public well informed: Efforts were quickly ramped up to provide clear messaging. We have engaged in collaborative meetings, emails, and training with partners, media briefings, communication through social and traditional media outlets, launching a call center in English and Spanish, and providing information to clients. All media partners have sought to report the best information. We are lucky to have such fine partners.
- Involve the younger generation: The Roanoke Area Youth Substance Abuse Coalition launched a social distancing challenge to empower middle and high schoolers to follow the public health guidance. Our early childhood partners mobilized quickly to support our childcare centers who remained open to safely support the children of essential workers. There are additional opportunities to engage children and youth while many are home and out of school and enrichment activities.
We will continue to incorporate these six steps, monitor the latest research, and collaborate with other entities in order to best respond to COVID-19.
Visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus or call our health department’s call center if you have any questions or concerns: 1-855-949-8378, open Monday-Friday 8 a.m-6 p.m.
