Orange County Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman has issued the following statement on the first positive test of COVID-19 in Orange County.
On Thursday morning, the Orange County Health Department was notified of the first positive test result of an Orange County resident for Coronavirus (COVID-19). The person is presently hospitalized and isolated.
“When a positive test occurs, the healthcare provider creates a line list,” Gelman said. “What that means is a list is created of all persons the patient was in contact with. The County Health Department then contacts people on that list to notify them of the potential exposure. Such persons are assessed using clinical criteria to determine their symptoms and the potential need for testing. We have been preparing for this prospect for several weeks and are in regular contact with our healthcare providers. I encourage people with fever, cough, shortness of breath or other signs of illness to contact their healthcare provider before appearing at their doctor’s office. This minimizes chance of more unnecessary exposure.”
For more information, contact Justin Rodriguez, Assistant to the County Executive for Communications and Media Relations at 845.291.3255 or jrodriguez@orangecountygov.com.
