COVID-19 claims its first Allamakee County life; one more positive case reported this past week
Local health officials advising individuals to stay vigilant in mitigation measures
The daily reports of COVID-19 cases issued by the Iowa Department of Public Health have been bittersweet at the local level of Allamakee County this past week.
While those daily reports have revealed just one additional positive case being confirmed within Allamakee County in the past week’s time after six initial cases had been reported in the previous week, the news released Friday, March 27 of one of those initial Allamakee County cases having their life claimed by the virus cast a shadow on the otherwise hopeful low case count reported from March 24-30. Robert “Bob” Thompson, age 77, of rural Waterville passed away Thursday evening, March 26 from complications of being infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus, his passing being confirmed by his family’s social media posts and his obituary that appears in this week’s issue of The Standard.
According to his daughter’s social media postings during the past couple weeks, Thompson had begun feeling ill March 12 and remained at home until being hospitalized March 18, those posts also indicating that the source of his infection was unknown. His wife had been reported as self-quarantining since his hospitalization and at last report had not exhibited any symptoms of her own.
The report of Thompson’s death came two days after the lone confirmed positive case reported for Allamakee County this past week (March 24-30) was announced Wednesday, March 25. That lone additional case was described as a middle-aged adult between 41 and 60 years of age, with no other details being released about the individual and that lone additional case advancing Allamakee County’s positive case count to seven individuals since the area’s very first positive cases were reported March 15.
In a statement released Friday, March 27 following Thompson’s passing, the Allamakee County Public Health Department said that of the six other positive cases reported in the county, three of those individuals had already recovered and were released from isolation and three others are currently recovering at home under isolation. Of those six remaining cases as of the printing of this week’s issue, four of them have been between the ages of 41 and 60, with the two others being split between a youth younger than 18 years of age and a young adult between 18 and 40 years of age, providing further evidence that no age demographic is immune to this disease.
Local public health officials said they do expect to see more positive cases in the county within the coming days, as has consistently been the situation nearly statewide. Public notification of any additional positives will be released in the daily reports offered by the Iowa Department of Public Health on its website, idph.iowa.gov.
“Allamakee County Public Health and our other area health partners can not stress enough the importance of staying home,” urged Allamakee County Public Health Director Lisa Moose, RN and Assistant Director Sheryl Darling-Mooney, RN. “This does slow the spread. Staying home does not mean you can’t go for a walk or be outside, as long as you maintain social distancing. Six feet physical distancing is about the length of a twin bed. We understand you need to be able to connect with others, but for everyone’s safety it needs to be at a distance.”
Allamakee County Public Health advises that people should send one person out to go to the grocery store to get essentials for one week. Make plans to utilize technology to connect socially by phone calls, texting, video streaming, Facebook live, Zoom and other apps.
MITIGATION MEASURES
Health officials maintain that the best way to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus is to stay at home whenever possible and maintain the recommended six-foot distance from individuals when needing to venture out for essential matters. Additionally, washing hands frequently with soap and water, staying home if feeling ill, covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue and performing routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces are also crucial to preventing further spread.
Those who are experiencing the tell-tale symptoms of the COVID-19 infection of fever, cough and shortness of breath should call their health care provider for further assessment over the telephone. That initial call will help determine whether an individual needs to be further assessed in person or may just be able to combat the virus while remaining at home.
“If you are experiencing any health concerns related to respiratory symptoms, you need to call your health care provider first before seeking medical attention,” advised Allamakee County Public Health officials. “If you stay home now we can be together later. Thank you for helping to keep yourself, your family, your neighbors and our communities safe.”
