Healthy Life

The Oswego County Health Department is working with officials from SUNY Oswego after additional cases of COVID-19 were identified among students living both on and off campus.

Since Friday, Sept. 4, 21 more cases have been confirmed among students.

According to Oswego County Public Health Director Jiancheng Huang, county health department staff is working closely with SUNY Oswego to quickly identify and isolate students that are infected.

“SUNY Oswego has a robust testing plan in place and has been able to quickly test, identify and isolate positive students since the beginning of the semester,” stated Huang. “We are interviewing positive students to identify those that may have been in close contact with them, then notifying those contacts and working with the college to get those identified into quarantine.”

“COVID-19 is highly contagious, so it is not unusual to see cases spread among individuals living together,” added Huang.

The Oswego County Health Department reminds all community members that they must take protective actions to limit the spread of the virus, including maintaining social distancing and limiting interaction among family and friends they do not live with.

Health officials urge residents follow these precautions:

• Wear a face mask or covering over your nose and mouth, especially when you cannot maintain six feet of separation from other people.
• Stay home if you are sick unless you are seeking health care.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating or use hand sanitizer with a concentration of at least 60% alcohol.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched or shared objects and surfaces such as doorknobs, tabletops, keyboards, remote control devices or bathrooms.

Residents are asked to continue monitoring reliable sources of information. Go to oswegocounty.com or health.oswegocounty.com/covid-19 for the latest news releases, updates and video presentations. For more information go to cdc.gov.

Additional questions can be directed to the Oswego County Health Department COVID-19 hotline at 315-349-3330 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For information about emotional supports, visit the Oswego County Department of Social Services Division of Mental Hygiene at www.oswegocounty.com/mentalhygiene.