Logan County Department of Public Health reminds you to spread love and not Covid-19 this Father’s Day

[June 17, 2022]   The Logan County Department of Public Health (LCDPH) is reporting an increase in cases of COVID-19 and numbers are also on the rise nationwide as new COVID-19 variants emerge. Currently, Logan County is classified at a high community transmission level based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. This classification rating is based on CDC metrics as the area is seeing a rise in the number of cases, hospital admissions and bed occupancy.

With Father’s Day approaching, many families will gather in celebration, and there are important COVID-19 prevention steps to keep in mind. This Father’s Day, to minimize transmission levels, consider the following:

• COVID-19 is a social disease that is transmitted from person to person. The more people are gathered at a social event, the greater the risk of transmission.

• COVID-19 poses a much greater risk of serious illness to people ages 65 and older.

• If you plan on attending social gatherings, consider getting vaccinated (including boosted) to protect you and your loved ones. Even if you are up to date on vaccines, you can still contract the virus, but your likelihood of severe infection is reduced.

• Stay home if you are sick. COVID-19 has many symptoms and even if you think it could be allergies, please stay home and test, just to be safe.

• If your loved one is a high risk for severe disease, consider self-testing to detect infection before contact. In addition, consider wearing a mask indoors at social gatherings with a high-risk contact or with those ages 65 and older.

• If you are immunocompromised and at high risk, consider wearing a mask or respirator which provides greater protection, consider avoiding non-essential indoor public activities, and have a plan for rapid testing.

Talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to take other precautions. If you are immuno-compromised, or 65 and older, and test positive, talk to your provider about whether you are a good candidate for life saving treatments such as oral antivirals and monoclonal antibodies.

If you are a good candidate, your provider can send your prescription to a participating pharmacy to get the treatment you need.

As an additional option, if you are high risk, or 65 and older, you can get tested at, or you can bring your positive test to a COVID-19 “Test to Treat” site. These sites provide faster, easier access to lifesaving COVID-19 oral treatment medications as a prescription for medication can be provided on site. To locate the nearest site, you can use the web-based Test to Treat locator (https://covid-19-test-to-treat-locator-dhhs.hub.arcgis.com/).

By proactively considering these steps, the threat of COVID-19 can be further
minimized. For more recommendations on how to protect yourself and prevent further spread of COVID-19, you can visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov or the Illinois Department of Public Health at www.dph.illinois.gov. For local information regarding immunization availability and testing, you can visit the Logan County Department of Public Health website at WWW.LCDPH.ORG or call them at 217-735-2317.

Information Source: IL Department of Public Health, US Dept. of Health and Human Services.

[Kara A. Davis, RN, BSN
Director of Nursing/Assistant Administrator/HealthWorks Case Manager
Logan County Department of Public Health]