Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

COVID-19 strikes New Rockford-Sheyenne High School

On Tuesday, September 22, New Rockford-Sheyenne School identified multiple COVID-19 positive cases among students and staff, prompting an immediate move to the “red level” per the school’s health and safety plan.

“In response to multiple positive cases, per our protocol, grades 7 -12 will move to distance learning beginning Thursday morning for 13 days, returning to in person instruction on Thursday, October 8,” Superintendent Jill Louters posted in a written statement on the school’s Facebook page.

In addition, the Rocket volleyball and football teams, including both players and coaches, are in quarantine for 14 days beginning Sept. 22. The volleyball team was enroute to Drake for a non-region contest Tuesday afternoon when news came that a member of the team had tested positive for COVID-19. The bus turned around, and all practices and games were put on hold for 14 days. Meanwhile, the football team was at practice. Since members of the team had been in close contact with COVID-19 positive individuals, their season was also put on hold for two weeks.

Homecoming activities slated for this week have been postponed as well. Secondary Principal Avolt Baumbach announced plans for a bit different schedule on Monday, and by Tuesday those details were scrapped as students and staff began their transition to online learning. Classes for 7-12 were not in session Wednesday, and students began distance learning Thursday, with students receiving online instruction from their teachers every other day, as they had done in person since the beginning of the school year. On the opposite days the students receive assignments via an online platform.

Elementary students, (grades PK-6), however, continue to receive in person instruction at school, as the positive cases are believed to be contained to the high school.

“It is absolutely critical that we keep our younger students in school and that we get back to a place where our high school students are in person,” Louters noted.

With 11 active cases as of Wednesday, Eddy County was down from its high of 21 active cases as reported in early September. However, there were six new cases in Eddy County reported by the North Dakota Department of Health on Wednesday alone, which effectively doubled the active case count from five to 11. The number nearly doubled again Thursday, with eight new cases reported and a total of 19 active cases. Thursday’s report also said that nine of the active cases are among teens ages 15-19, a pandemic high for our county.

Eddy County Public Health Nurse Danette Schmid said Wednesday that she ordered additional COVID-19 tests for this week (Sept. 28) to accommodate close contacts of positive individuals.

She noted that the CDC recommends that all close contacts get tested 7-10 days after last known expo to a positive individual, so she anticipates that there will be quite an uptick in demand for surveillance tests next week with so many community members in quarantine.

Schmid said her agency has 50 tests available this week. Testing will occur on Tuesday morning from 9 - 10:30 a.m. Anyone who wants a test is encouraged to call Eddy County Public Health at 947-5311 to set up an appointment in advance. Drive-in patients are welcome without an appointment, but only as testing supplies are available.

As of now, Eddy County’s risk level remains at green, or low risk. Our northern neighbor Benson County remained in the yellow, or moderate risk, level, but Gov. Burgum noted Wednesday that they had inched closer to high risk considering their active case count, which jumped back up to 66 on Monday, Sept. 21 after dipping down to 17 just a couple of weeks ago. With 40% of the population tested at least once, Benson County’s cumulative positivity rate was 11.4% as of Tuesday. Foster County’s level changed from blue (or new normal) to green (low risk) as of Friday. That county reported seven new cases from Monday to Wednesday. In addition, Carrington High School’s volleyball season was shut down for two weeks as of Monday due to COVID-19. Then on Wednesday, due to a staff shortage stemming from COVID-19 quarantine orders, the high school announced they would transition to online learning as of Friday.

On Monday, Sept. 21, according to the NDDoH website, the Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd in New Rockford had four active cases among staff, and none among residents. The facility had reported as many as eight active cases just one week prior, also indicating a move in the right direction.

According to the New York Times, coronavirus cases have been reported in more than 19,000 nursing homes and other long-term care facilities across the country, based on data provided by states, counties, the federal government and facilities themselves.

“More than 479,000 residents and employees have been infected in those homes, and more than 77,000 have died. That means more than 35% of deaths from the virus in the United States have been tied to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities,” the newspaper reported Wednesday.

Both Burgum and Department of Health and Human Services Director Chris Jones said the surge in cases in North Dakota’s long term care facilities is a reflection of increased community spread. “We want to do everything we can do to reduce those transmissible moments,” Burgum said.

Gov. Burgum announced further steps to protect vulnerable citizens, namely long term care residents, at Wednesday’s press conference. He said that highly accurate “point of care” tests the state had ordered would be delivered to long term care facilities across the state very soon. The goal is to allow facilities to get test results more quickly so that they can isolate positive employees immediately to slow the spread to residents.

In addition, Interim State Health Officer Dr. Paul Mariani amended a state health officer order expanding the quarantine order to all close contacts.

“Whenever possible, all close contacts of individuals infected with COVID-19 should stay home for 14 days past the last day they were in contact with the person who tested positive,” said Mariani. “Individuals who are named as close contacts and comply with their quarantine are actively protecting older adults in their community. These are our parents and grandparents. Quarantine is not convenient, but it is necessary.”

The order continues to allow essential workforce exemptions for individuals who are close contacts of people testing positive for COVID-19. Exempt individuals include essential critical infrastructure workers as defined by the United States Department of Homeland Security.

Individuals who fail to comply with the order can be charged with a Class B Misdemeanor. Burgum noted that any enforcement would be done at the local level.***updated online, see below

Emmons County, along the southern border of North Dakota, got state and national attention for its latest numbers on Wednesday. The small, rural county has had 127 total cases since the pandemic began, and 72 of those cases have come in the past 7 days. Emmons County had the highest positivity rate in the entire state (18.8%) as of Wednesday, per Governor Burgum.

Statewide, 2,661 new cases had been reported from Thursday, Sept. 17 to Wednesday, Sept. 23. A total of 43,216 total tests were conducted in that time, equaling a 6.2% positivity rate. The state’s death toll topped 200 as of Wednesday, when 7 new deaths were reported.

You are a close contact to a COVID-19, now what?

This information is sourced from the North Dakota Department of Health and provides guidance for people who have been identified a close contact to COVID-19. This is defined as someone within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more while the individual is deemed to be infectious (48 hours prior to their onset of symptoms; for asymptomatic cases, 48 hours prior to the date they were tested).

Signs and symptoms

The most common symptoms of novel coronavirus are fever and cough, difficulty breathing, loss of taste/smell, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, diarrhea, and nausea/vomiting. The onset of fever or other symptoms does not necessarily mean that an individual has COVID-19, but anyone exhibiting symptoms should immediately contact a health care provider for testing.

Monitoring Period

Remain at home or in a comparable setting for the next two weeks. Avoid congregate settings, public activities and practice social distancing. Avoid public places where close contact with others may occur (e.g., shopping centers, movie theaters, stadiums), workplaces, schools and other classroom settings for the duration of the monitoring period unless approved by the state or local health department. Other individuals in the household do not have to quarantine unless they have been notified that they are also a close contact.

Testing

Close contacts who become sick and test positive for COVID-19 during the quarantine period will have daily contact with NDDoH as a confirmed case of COVID-19. All close contacts should get tested 7-10 days after last known exposure, even if they exhibit no symptoms. Individuals who test negative will still need to fulfill the recommended quarantine period, as it can take up to 14 days to develop COVID-19.

Check your temperature and symptoms

It is very important that close contacts monitor their health daily so that they can be treated quickly if they get sick. Based on what is known from other coronavirus infections, 14 days is the longest time between when a person was last exposed to COVID-19 and when symptoms begin. Quarantined individuals should check their temperature anytime they feel feverish and write down their temperature twice a day along with any of the symptoms listed below.

What should I do if I become ill during this monitoring period?

Unless it is an emergency, DO NOT GO to a clinic or hospital without first calling ahead. Calling first will help the clinic or hospital prepare to provide care in a safe way. If it is not possible to call ahead, notify staff immediately about the exposure to COVID-19.

Household contacts to a confirmed COVID-19 case

Household contacts may remain in their usual home setting while monitoring for COVID-19. If possible, they should avoid sharing a bathroom with other members of the household, practice good hygiene, refrain from sharing household items and clean and disinfect surfaces regularly.

UPDATE: State Health Officer order rescinded.

An amended State Health Officer order issued Wednesday related to quarantining of close contacts of positive COVID-19 cases was rescinded Thursday evening just hours after our press time. The Department of Health clarified that the intent of the order was to align with CDC guidelines, emphasize the urgent need for those exposed to positive individuals to avoid potentially spreading the disease to others, and encourage local officials to work together on the best strategies to combat COVID-19.

“This pandemic remains a threat. Nationally, 2.9% of reported COVID-19 cases have resulted in death. While that percentage is just over 1% in North Dakota thanks to strong coronavirus response efforts at the state and local levels, cases continue to rise and our state is on track for a record number of deaths of individuals with COVID-19 in September,” Interim State Health Officer Dr. Paul Mariani said. “While this order is being rescinded, we continue to stress the importance of quarantining and isolation to bend the curve back in the right direction in North Dakota. Whenever possible, all close contacts of individuals infected with COVID-19 should avoid contact with others for 14 days past the last day they were in contact with the person who tested positive.”

The rescinded order had expanded an existing quarantine order for household contacts to apply to all close contacts, following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance. The North Dakota Department of Health has always recommended close contacts quarantine to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but previously the order referred only to household contacts.

Friday morning, Mariani announced his resignation from the state health officer position. He is the third person to resign from that position since the pandemic began in March.