VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Ward County man is North Dakota’s first coronavirus case. Health officials say the man in his 60s had traveled out of state and had contact with a person who also tested positive for the disease. The man has not been hospitalized and is isolating himself at home. According to the report the vast majority of people recover from the new virus. The World Health Organization said people with mild illness recover in about two weeks. Health officials are working to identify people who may have been in close contract with the individual.
Officials with the ND Department of Health are visiting with school districts and other public health agencies across the state to address the COVID-19 virus. State Epidemiologist Jennifer Schmidt had this advice for everyone.
She said cases of people being tested are available online www.health.nd.gov
Frank Balak is the Emergency Preparedness & Response Coordinator with the Central Valley Heath District office in Jamestown.
Valley City-County Health Director Theresa Will said it’s important that everyone is on the same page concerning this virus.
Valley City Public Schools Superintendent Josh Johnson said the district has begun implementing preventative measures to protect students, staff and the community.
School Administrators from Barnes County North, Litchville Marion, Maple Valley and the Valley City Public School District attended the March 10th meeting in Valley City.
City County Health District issued this news release to school districts and the community on March 11th.
“The Cold and influenza (flu) season in the Midwest is in full swing. Influenza (flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms include cough, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, headache, body or muscle aches, fatigue/tiredness. Not everyone with the flu will have a fever.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer the following proper precautions to keep you and your families healthy:
· Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before leaving home, on arrival at school/work, after using the restroom, before food preparation, before eating any food (including snacks), and when arriving back at home.
o For young children, suggest they hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice from beginning to end twice while washing their hands. This video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZw4Ga3jg3E) from the CDC is a great resource to show young children.
o If soap is unavailable, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Rub the sanitizer over all the surfaces of your hands, which also takes approximately 20 seconds.
· Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
· Cover your cough/sneeze with a tissue, throw the tissue in the garbage, and wash your hands. If a tissue is unavailable, cough/sneeze into your flexed elbow.
· Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
· Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick.
· Stay home if you are sick. Do not send your student to school if they are feeling sick.
· Influenza vaccinations are still available, which you can obtain through your student’s health care provider or at City-County Health District (Monday thru Friday; please call for an appointment – 701-845-8518).
The flu season has been complicated, this year, by a cluster of respiratory illnesses caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) is currently engaged in a statewide response with local, state and private partners to prepare for a any potential Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The schools in our region are jointly working with City-County District, the NDDoH and other entities, receiving information through regular updates as this evolves.
We want to provide you with some basic, but important, facts regarding the novel coronavirus:
· It was first identified in the city of Wuhan in Hubei Province in China.
· There are no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in North Dakota.
All area schools are taking a number of precautions, including:
· Sharing information about proper handwashing with our parents, students and employees,
· Checking our cleaning product inventory and purchasing additional materials as needed,
· Custodial teams increasing sanitization of high-contact surfaces,
· Monitoring absentee patterns and preparing to share this information with City-County Health.
For more information, please visit the websites for the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html) or the North Dakota Department of Health (https://www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus). If cases are identified in our community, we will work closely with medical experts to determine the next steps.
Area school systems take the health and safety of our children very seriously. We will continue to monitor this situation and take guidance from City-County Health District and the NDDoH. We will continue to share necessary information via our school system communications channels as appropriate.”