Joplin Health Department announces two new confirmed COVID-19 cases

(From the Joplin Health Department)

The Joplin Health Department today announces the 13th and 14th positive cases of COVID-19 within the city of Joplin. Both are adults and reside in Joplin within Jasper County. (Note: these cases will be counted under Joplin on the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services website.)

To protect the patients’ right to privacy, identifying information will not be provided. As part of the regular practice of disease investigation, the Health Department will notify people who have had contact with these patients.

One case is a contact of an individual who had previously tested positive for the virus, and the other individual is an adult who has not recently traveled and appears to have contracted the case due to local transmission.

The Joplin Health Department staff are working with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to determine any close contacts of this individual who were possibly exposed. If exposed, health officials will provide guidance to these individuals and monitor them closely for the development of symptoms.

While COVID-19 is spread from person to person, more than 80% of the patients who develop it will only become mildly ill. The concern is for patients with underlying medical conditions and the elderly, who are more likely to need hospital-level supportive care.

Primary symptoms to be aware of include:

100.4 fever or higher - 90% will have fever.

Dry cough - 70% will have a dry cough.

Shortness of breath – for those who become more acutely ill.

Individuals experiencing these symptoms should contact their medical provider before traveling to their office. The public is reminded that a drive-through test site, supported by eTrueNorth and Walmart, is also a possible testing site for persons with these symptoms. Anyone seeking a test should go to www.DoINeedaCOVID19test.com to be screened and, if approved, schedule a time to visit the drive-through testing site. The number for the screening call center is 800-635-8611.

Guidance on considerations for COVID-19, as well as recommendations on other health practices if going out for essential activities can be found at www.joplinmo.org/coronavirus or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website at https://www.cdc.gov/ .