Marquette County COVID-19 contact tracing to change

NEGAUNEE – The Marquette County Health Department announced a change in COVID-19 contact tracing protocols Tuesday. Due to the large increase of positive cases in the community and the recent update to CDC isolation and quarantine guidelines, MCHD said they will begin addressing COVID by moving away from individual case investigations to focus on outbreak investigation and infection prevention. As a result, there will be a change in who MCHD is able to contact.

MCHD will now ONLY be using Patient Education Genius (PEG) to contact individuals who are reported as positive cases. Those who provide a cell phone number or email at the time of testing will be contacted with a link to fill out an electronic form that will be reviewed by the health department. Providing this information does help us monitor the COVID trends in the community and make decisions about where to utilize resources. This information is especially important for those with school-aged children so schools can be informed.

If you do not receive the PEG form, you will not be contacted by MCHD. Due to the large volume of cases MCHD cannot provide individual assistance with determining quarantine, approving the end of isolation, or providing letters for employers. If you need proof of a positive test result you should contact the facility where you were tested.

All members of the public, including school-aged children, can follow the recent CDC guidelines when determining how long to isolate and how long to quarantine after an exposure. Health care facilities and long-term care settings may adopt longer time frames. MCHD recommends the following:

If you test positive for COVID-19:

• Stay home for 5 days. Wear a well-fitted mask if you must be around others in your home.

• If you have no symptoms, or your symptoms are resolving after 5 days (including being fever-free for 24 hours) you can leave your house.

• Continue to wear a mask around others for an additional 5 days.

If you were exposed to someone with COVID-19:

• If you are up-to-date on all COVID-19 vaccinations, wear a mask around others for 10 days, testing on day 5 if possible.

• If you are unvaccinated, have not completed the primary vaccination series, or have not received your booster when eligible, stay home for 5 days. Test on day 5 if possible. Wear a mask for 10 full days any time you are around others inside your home or in public.

• If you can’t quarantine you must wear a mask for 10 days.

• Monitor your health and if you develop symptoms stay home and get tested.

If you’ve tested positive with an at-home test:

• Follow isolation guidelines.

• Notify your contacts and encourage them to follow guidelines for someone who has been exposed to COVID-19.

• You do not need to report your positive test to the health department. Home tests cannot be confirmed and are not included in daily case counts.

• If you need proof of a positive test for work, seek out confirmatory testing at a testing site. Do not go to the emergency room for testing.

Marquette County Health Department encourages everyone eligible to get vaccinated. Vaccines are available for anyone 5 and older. Boosters are available for those 12 and older. For more information about vaccines and COVID-19 testing please visit our website mqthealth.org.