The Fulton Sun is offering this article free to all readers because it includes information important to public safety and health in our community.
The Callaway Resource Network met Thursday morning over Zoom to discuss the pandemic and the efforts of local organizations.
Pam Phelps, director of the Callaway County Medical Reserve Corps, and Michelle Kidwell, director of Callaway County Emergency Management, spoke on subjects related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The resource network meetings include a variety of groups who serve the community in a variety of ways from education and job assistance to health and children's services.
In the most recent update from the Callaway County Health Department, there were 111 active cases in the county as of Sept. 29 - that adds up to a total of 676 positive cases since the pandemic began.
The Medical Reserve Corps is helping the county with contact tracking and tracing - currently, six MDC volunteers are supplementing the work of health department employees and tracking potential exposures.
The Corps has also spent time thinking about how it could assist if a disaster were to strike the county while the pandemic is still happening, Phelps said.
"COVID for MRC has been just a wait and see," Phelps said.
Prompted by audience questions, Phelps also helped viewers understand the difference between isolation and quarantine.
If an individual has had close contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus, that person should hear from contact tracers. It can take several days for symptoms to appear, but if a person has the virus, they can be contagious before they actually start feeling sick.
Because of this, those who have been exposed are expected to stay home and away from others for 14 days since their last contact with a positive case.
On the other hand, if an individual has tested positive or is experiencing symptoms, they should stay away from others until symptoms have disappeared and 10 days have passed since symptoms appeared.
If the case was entirely asymptomatic, the individual should still stay home until 10 days have passed since the last positive test.
Kidwell shared several updates related to purchases with Callaway County CARES Act funds. Her office has protective gear available for nursing homes, schools and hospitals.
The county has also acquired a disinfectant making machine that is being housed at Fulton Medical Center and an electrostatic sprayer system that entities can borrow to quickly sanitize spaces. Touchless hand sanitizer stations are also available.
Kidwell said that though she expects case counts to continue to go up and down, she has been pleasantly surprised by how the local colleges have handled the pandemic and how student cases have stayed low.