Health officials in Onondaga County have been trying to drive home one crucial point for the past few weeks as COVID-19 cases rise: Do not go out if you are experiencing any coronavirus related symptoms.
Dr. Indu Gupta shared a visual representation of how one person with light symptoms spread the virus to over 50 people at the county’s Monday coronavirus briefing.
“It is a microcosm of what is happening, it is like small fires," said Gupta. "We are trying to put it out every day by investigating each and every one of them. You can think if that many people whether they have one contact, ten contacts, or fifteen contacts depending on what each person is doing in their own life.”
Gupta said tracing the virus has become more complicated since the community began reopening. When more businesses and workplaces were closed, people infected with the virus had a smaller group of contacts. Now, many of those infected are visiting more places and seeing more people.
Onondaga County’s infection rate is still hovering around 1%, and not yet close to shutting down again. But County Executive Ryan McMahon warns that it could quickly change.
“We are doing everything we can and we are going to message like crazy so people get it. What we do not want to end up in is a situation where we have a micro-cluster here and get moved into yellow light or orange light. We are not there and we are not close to there right now, but we are a big community. Imagine if we have fifty people times us, then you are there.”
Both McMahon and Gupta acknowledged that people may be feeling COVID fatigue, getting tired of pandemic restrictions. However, they say it’s imperative everyone wears a mask, keeps physical distance, and get tested when feeling sick to keep the community open and healthy.
