Macon County Health Department announces four new cases of COVID-19

August 27, 2020

The Macon County Health Department announces four new cases of COVID-19 in the county. One is female, age 20-29. One is female age 60-69. Two are male age 30-39. Two cases were infected through community spread, one was a household contact to a positive case, and one is due to out of county work.

At the time of this press release, the following reflects cases of COVID-19 in the county -

96 positive cases

15 active positive cases

4 hospitalized (included in the active positive case count)

81 released from isolation

Macon County has a trend of positive cases that were acquired from working out of the county, with additional cases of COVID-19 spreading to close contacts within those same households. If you work at a job that has positive cases, please take precautions such as masking, good hand hygiene, keeping your distance as much as possible from co-workers, and staying home when you don’t feel well. At the first sign of COVID-19 symptoms, self-quarantine and consider getting tested.

Another trend in the county is community spread at small, private gatherings. Macon County has seen 40 new cases so far in the month of August. With this increased rate, we ask residents to take precautions during small social gatherings: gather outside if possible, spread seating apart to keep distance as much as possible, wear masks when not eating, don’t share utensils or dinnerware, practice good hand hygiene. Avoid social gatherings when not feeling well and, at the first sign of COVID-19 symptoms, self-quarantine and consider getting tested.

Many of our county positive cases are ill with COVID-19, some more severe than others with several hospitalized. The average age of a COVID-19 case in Macon County is 54. Those impacted hardest have compromised immune systems or other underlying health conditions. COVID-19 is a respiratory virus whose long-term health effects are yet to be known. Please protect yourself and others so that we can slow down the current spread of COVID-19 within our county.