A list of questions was presented to the LCDHD staff by the media. Those questions, and the answers given, are provided in the following article for the readers of the Clinton County News.

The media updates are presented weekly and the Clinton County News will continue to participate in those briefings so we can better keep our readers informed

Our panel consisted of:

Shawn Crabtree, Executive Director

Dr. Christine Weyman, Medical Director

Stuart Spillman, Environmental Health Director

Laura Woodrum, Director of Nursing

Tracy Aaron, Health Education Director – moderator

Stuart

? Why are smaller variety stores individually owned required to be closed when the larger ones (Walmart, Dollar General, etc) are open with many more people inside the store than the smaller stores would ever have?

The stores you have mentioned have been deemed by the Governor’s Office and the Dept. Of Homeland Security’s Critical Infrastructure as life sustaining and essential retail due to the sale of food.

Variety stores’ main sales are not derived from food and are not considered life sustaining retail.

Laura

? Could you explain the process of getting positive results from the nursing home and how the health department knows if the deaths are indeed from Coronavirus?

The health department receives positive test results from providers and/or labs.

Once we receive positive results, the health department reaches out to the facility to begin the contact/case investigation process. Death certificate review from the KY Dept. of Public Health determines the cause of death.

? I would like to know if Governor Beshear has discussed his plans for testing longterm care residents in nursing homes and staff. I haven’t seen his updates in a few days and did not know if there was any new news in regards to nursing home testing?

The Governor discussed plans to do testing in all LTC facilities in his briefing yesterday. Some facilities have chosen to test themselves.

Dr. Weyman

? People were already discussing on social media and in their social circles about a bad virus or illness that had many of the same symptoms as Covid-19 with things such as a fever, sore throat, tiredness and a cough that lingered for approximately a month. This was being reported by many beginning around Christmas of 2019 and January 2020, they also said they would seem to recover, but then the illness would worsen again, and several seem to think they caught the same thing more than once.

Many said that their tests came back negative for flu types etc. which in light of the recent situation leads them to question if what they might have had was actually this Covid-19 virus and if it had possibly arrived here earlier than reported. What is the line of thought/educated guess on this and why do you think it is possible or not possible that it was Covid-19?

Earlier circulation of the coronavirus has certainly been discussed by authorities and some evidence exists at least in Europe. Since some antibody testing is now FDA approved and available, the person/persons who feel they had the illness in December can be tested for IgG antibodies to COVID 19. If positive, they can assume that they had it then.