Corona Virus (CoVid-19) Important Information and Helpful Tips

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) virus, and we are learning more about it every day. There is currently no vaccine to protect against COVID-19. At this point, the best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus that causes it. Stopping transmission (spread) of the virus through everyday practices is the best way to keep people healthy.

Below are several helpful guides to COVID-19.

Oregon Health Authority officials continue to recommend people in Oregon take everyday precautions to prevent the spread of many respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19 and influenza:

Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Consult CDC’s travel website for any travel advisories and steps to protect yourself if you plan to travel outside of the US.

Take care of your health overall. Staying current on your vaccinations, including flu vaccine, eating well and exercising all help your body stay resilient.

Clean and disinfect surfaces that are often touched.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

If you have mild symptoms, stay home. Call your healthcare professional if you feel sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19, or if you live in or have recently traveled from an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19. If you have not been in close contact or traveled to an area with COVID-19, your healthcare provider will rule out other respiratory diseases first. Typically, a person will only be tested for COVID-19 if they have symptoms and the contact risk factors or if they have a fever with severe acute lower respiratory illness requiring hospitalization and without alternative explanatory diagnosis. (CDC Criteria to Evaluate)

If you call the Malheur County Health Department to ask if a person should stay home from school, we will instruct you to call your healthcare provider and can not evaluate symptoms or severity over the phone and do not operate a primary care clinic.

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