The Dubois County Health Department held a special press conference yesterday regarding COVID-19 in Dubois County.
Members of the Dubois County Health Department, Memorial Hospital Health Care Center, local officials, and more gathered outside the health department building to address the public on where Dubois County stands right now during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Dubois County Health Department Administrative Director Jo Ann Spaulding gave a data report for the county, highlighting positive cases, the number of tests administered, and updates on how Dubois County will handle the fight against COVID-19. Spaulding confirms that there have been zero outbreaks at nursing homes. Spaulding also stated that a positive case of COVID-19 is currently being hospitalized. In total, six Dubois County residents have been hospitalized.
Environmental Health Specialist with the Dubois County Health Department Shawn Werner gave an explanation on the Indiana Health Strike Team that has been coming to the county and has been testing those in places like Farbest Foods Processing Plant in Huntingburg and the Dubois County Corrections building.
Werner says that a strike team is a team that responds to long term care settings, industrial facilities, congregate settings, as well as handling drive through testings. Werner explains how this process is handled.
Werner says that places like Farbest Foods had a lot of asymptomatic cases and a strike team was used to help separate these cases to help prevent further contamination. After this, the strike team provided education on how to stop more spreading.
Dubois County Health Officer Ted Waflart gave an update on how the county is moving forward during the pandemic.
Waflart says that he’s comfortable with Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb’s plan to reopen the state, but says that the public needs to continue social distancing.
Waflart says that there is no evidence that COVID-19 can get into meats that can be processed into food. Waflart recommends that the public properly prepares food to prevent any possibility of any type of virus contaminating the outside of food; however Waflart stated that washing meat is not the best idea.
Spaulding and Waflart both say that if worse comes to worst than the Dubois County Health Department will not wait around for the state to react and instead take action themselves for the safety of the community
