Other Frequently Asked Questions

How can I do my part to protect myself, my loved ones, and my community?

• Wear a mask when out in public places or when spending time with people you don’t live with.
• Social distance by keeping at least six feet between yourself and people who aren’t members of your household.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially when you get home after being in public.
• Get tested for COVID-19, especially if you have symptoms. To find testing locations, visit: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you. Check with your insurance provider and the testing site as some locations may charge a fee for testing.
• Stay home if you are sick – even if your illness is mild.
• Get vaccinated - once the vaccine becomes available to you.

Are the people who tested positive the only people in the County with COVID-19?

Our updates only include individuals who have been tested for COVID-19. There could be other people with COVID-19 in the community who haven’t been tested and have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. That’s why it is important we all continue to take the above steps to keep our community safe and healthy.

What happens when someone tests positive?

When someone residing in Schuyler County tests positive for COVID-19, we at Schuyler County Public Health are notified of the results. We call the individual, inform them of their results, and conduct contact tracing to identify and quarantine individuals who may have been exposed. The individual is also put in mandatory isolation until they are no longer considered at high risk of transmitting COVID-19 to others based on criteria set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH).

What is contact tracing?

For contact tracing, we work with the individual to identify where they went and who they interacted with while they were contagious – this time frame includes the time while they had symptoms and the 48 hours before their symptoms started, per CDC and NYSDOH guidance. For people without symptoms, we look back 48 hours before they were tested.

People are considered at risk of getting COVID-19 if they are in the same household with someone with COVID-19, had direct physical contact with someone with COVID-19 or with their infectious secretions, or were within 6 feet of someone with COVID-19 for 10 minutes or more. This would include any people the person lives with and may also include coworkers, friends, or family the person spent time with. It could also include people in a public setting.

What is (and isn’t) a public exposure risk?

Some settings, such as healthcare facilities, daycares, and some types of businesses, keep detailed records of who enters and leaves their building. If the person who tested positive was in a location like this, this would not be a public exposure risk because we can work with the location to identify and contact everyone who may have been exposed to the virus by the person who tested positive.

If someone who tested positive reports they were in a setting that doesn’t keep records of who enters (such as a retail establishment), we work with the individual to determine who they may have exposed to the virus. We examine what precautions the person was following and review details about the setting. If they were in a setting like this and may have exposed people, this would be a public exposure risk because there are people who may have been exposed to the virus that cannot be identified and contacted. If a situation like this occurs, we will inform the community and recommend that anyone who was at the location take appropriate steps like self-quarantining and getting tested for COVID-19.

How do I know if I have been identified as a close contact?

Any individuals identified as close contacts are contacted by us, or the New York State Contact Tracers, and placed in quarantine to limit how many people they end up exposing if they do develop COVID-19. They are released from quarantine once it has been 10 days since they were exposed to the person with COVID-19, unless they develop symptoms. Daily check-ins are done with both the individual who tested positive and their contacts to monitor their health, make sure they have any food, prescriptions, or other supplies they need, and to check that the individuals are following the quarantine or isolation orders.

What does recovered mean?

A person is considered recovered once all three of the following happen:

1. It has been 10 or more days since their symptoms started
2. Their symptoms have improved significantly (some symptoms such as a slight cough may continue for a while after they have recovered)
3. They have been fever-free for 3 days in a row without a fever-reducing medicine

Can you tell me more about antibody testing?

The COVID-19 diagnostic test checks for the presence of the virus at the time of sampling. Antibody testing is different – it checks to see if you had the virus in the past. To learn more about antibody testing, click here.

If you are interested in getting antibody testing for COVID-19, reach out to your primary care provider or visit https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you.