MCHD COVID-19 contact investigation on first Case in Macon County

March 26, 2020

Yesterday, the Macon County Health Department confirmed the first positive case of

COVID-19 in Macon County. After that announcement, it was the Macon County Health

Department’s job to conduct a contact investigation to determine where that person was

and who was at risk of being exposed to COVID-19. Contact investigations are required

under Missouri state statute 19 CSR 20-20.020 for any reportable disease including

COVID-19.

A contact investigation process is this: After a positive case is confirmed, the health

department will interview the infected person to collect information on where they have

been and people with whom they have been in contact. The timeline for the contact

investigation begins on the date the person started showing symptoms of the virus.

The Health Department will contact every person the infected patient has been in direct

contact with since starting to show symptoms. Direct contact is considered as –

1. Being closer than 6 feet for a prolonged period of time, including but not limited

to caring for, living with, visiting or sharing a healthcare waiting area with an

infected person.

2. Having direct contact with respiratory droplets from the infected person, such as

being coughed on.

We cannot disclose the identity of the positive person due to HIPAA privacy laws.

We will let the direct contacts know they have been exposed and what symptoms to

watch for – including fever, cough and shortness of breath. The direct contact will be

asked to self-quarantine for 14 days and to watch for symptoms. If they begin to show

symptoms, they are asked to call their primary health care provider or the Macon County

Health Department for further instruction.

If a person does not answer a call, we cannot leave information on voicemails other than

asking them to call the Macon County Health Department, again due to privacy laws.

We will only ask the person who had direct contact to self-quarantine, not indirect

contacts which include second- or third-degree contacts. If someone is worried that they

may have been exposed, they can self-quarantine as a precaution.

There is no mandated quarantine for a direct contact. However, if the infected person

breaks quarantine, that is a class A misdemeanor punishable by 1 year in jail, up to $2000

fine, or both.