Mayor's Message about Covid-19 Update #11 March 24, 2020
Posted on: March 24, 2020 - 7:52pm
Hi everyone,
I started writing this message to you yesterday, when the weather was reflecting how many of us have been feeling – a bit dismal and grey. In my conversations with residents, most of you were expressing the view that however bad things seem now, it will get worse before it gets better. Some of what I have to share will reinforce that sentiment. And yet today, outside my office window the sun is shining and there’s a batch of bright yellow forsythia along our old stone wall. I’ve been reading messages about the acts of kindness and the caring initiatives you’re spearheading, and it lifts my spirits and makes me hopeful…
Cases in Hastings-on-Hudson
So, first the not wildly optimistic news: as of this afternoon, we have 11 official cases of Covid-19 in the Village. It’s got to the point where when I check the latest numbers, I steel myself for what I might learn. We all know this data underestimates the true figures and that the numbers are going to escalate dramatically for all the reasons I’ve shared with you before. In those missives, my message has been to ask you to take this pandemic seriously and adjust your behavior to protect yourself, your family and others. One person wrote to say that she was told to: "Act as if you have been exposed, stay home, and monitor for symptoms." This simple, blunt message is exactly right. My dearest wish is that we are able to reduce the spread in our Village because everyone’s taking the proper precautions. We really are all in this together. Each of our actions, whether sensible or thoughtless, affect many other people. So please, please, please err on the side of sensible!
For anyone who thinks the Governor’s New York State on PAUSE message doesn’t apply to them - it applies to everyone! Unless there’s good reason to go out (like periodic shopping or exercising to maintain your sanity), everyone please try and stay at home. And please keep your kids home too – don’t let them roam the streets or congregate with one another – don’t let them be “super spreader virus vectors.”
Testing Nightmares
Sick but can’t get a test: People have reached out to say that they feel sick with what they think are the Covid-19 symptoms but they can’t get a test. The CDC guidance for people who feel sick is HERE. It is critically important that you check in with your primary care physician for an initial assessment, since they’re the ones doing most of the initial screening. You may be told you don’t meet the criterion to be tested right now (for the testing protocols see HERE). The truth is there still aren’t enough tests in New York State, and until they become more available, testing is being offered to people who meet the requirements noted before. You can also try to call the NYS Covid-19 hotline: 888-364-3065. You are likely to get a similar answer but no harm in trying. If you can’t get a test, as per the bolded message above, you should assume you have the virus and behave accordingly.
Never got a test but appears to be positive. Some people have told me they are convinced they had the disease but never met the criterion to be tested. So they weathered it through, were cared for by family members, recovered, and are grateful it wasn’t as bad as they had anticipated. While we will probably never know for sure, as they were never tested, some of these people may well have had a mild case of Covid-19. The CDC guidelines for these types of people are HERE and a helpful poster is HERE. The guidelines for family members who are caring for sick people is HERE. In these cases, contact tracing needs to be carried out by you and your family in case you exposed others who have a less robust immune system than you. If you believe you got the virus, it’s important you continue to self-isolate for 14 days even after your symptoms improve, as you still could be contagious.
Got a test but can’t get the result: There are also people who have been tested but many days later still don’t have results (10 days in the case of one resident). I’ve taken this issue up with the County and the Governor’s office, but there is little they can do until the number of labs that are processing the tests increases. However, I did learn that anyone who was tested at Glen Island, can get results via THIS portal using THESE instructions. If you were tested at Glen Island you can also contact BioReference Laboratories at 833-469-5227 to get your results. While you are waiting for the results, you should be contact tracing.
Got results and tested positive: We also have people who were able to get tested and discovered they were positive – in severe cases they were taken to hospital, but in mild or asymptomatic cases they were told to isolate at home (both because it’s usually a more pleasant place to be and because hospitals are being reserved for people who are critically ill). See HERE for CDC guidelines on home care. People’s experience so far has been that very often, the disease quickly travels through a family, which is why a rigorous self-quarantine procedure for family members is recommended. Patients and families should have been issued documents that explain what they need to do to protect themselves and the community – see HERE for the County’s isolation protocols, see HERE for the County’s self-quarantine protocols, and see HERE for a sheet that simplifies what’s required of family members. Note that there are cases where family members don’t end up testing positive, especially when the correct isolation procedures have been put in place, but to our knowledge all family members of people who have tested positive are asked to self-quarantine. For people who tested positive and who completed self-isolation at home, the CDC protocols are outlined HERE. All these people are required to have completed contact tracing and to inform people who may have been exposed.
As I said in my last message, if you’re living with a person who feels sick and is getting tested for the virus, or someone who came in close contact with someone who has the virus, or someone who actually tested positive, PLEASE STAY AT HOME! It is now generally accepted that because people didn’t follow these simple rules the virus spread rapidly in other countries. Let’s try to avoid making the same mistakes here.
Our Frontline Workers: A Request
Fire Chief Lindner notes that the first responders need adult size bag valve respirators —“if we can find 6 we should be in good shape”— and asked if we could get a message out to Village doctors who may have one at their office. There are only 6 left on the ambulance and none on reserve. They cannot be sterilized and reused, so if you have some let us know! Also, please take a moment to thank our front line workers – the Fire Department/EMS team, the Police and our DPW workers. This phenomenal team is on the front lines taking care of all of us. Please read the advisories they issue and do your best to comply … whether it’s reporting a suspected or confirmed case in your home so the EMS team is properly prepared when they visit or making it easier for our DPW workers to do their jobs.
Updated HoH Covid-19 Website
Thanks to our amazing IT team, Raf and Jen, as well as Trustee Lopez, we have an updated Covid-19 section of the Village website which has been designed to make it is easier to find the core information you need. It includes all of the Mayor’s Messages and the Declaration of the State of Emergency, Village Protocols, the Governor’s Executive Orders, the advisories from our first responders and the DPW, School District announcements, information on our businesses and food services, and messages from our utilities. There is also information on how you can help as well as ideas on things to do (my next message will feature some of those things). A list of relief programs for New Yorkers can be found HERE.
The Adventures of Paul the Cat: Lessons in Social Distancing
My husband and I live with Paul the Cat who has been practicing social distancing since he was a kitten. He is an expert at holding humans at a distance and, like most of his feline relatives, gives affection entirely on his own terms. All the drama has not disturbed his routine at all – he wakes up, stretches, slinks outside for some stalking (on his own), saunters home, nibbles at his food, yawns, curls up in a sunny spot and sleeps for a bit, scratches at the door to go outside for some afternoon marauding (on his own), comes home for another snack, sleeps a bit more, asks for a neck rub, and then sleeps even more. If we are very lucky he will choose to sleep on one of our laps. Other than that, Paul is social distancing like a pro. He is quite disdainful of dogs, which have no idea about social distancing at the best of times. Please be like Paul!
Acts of Kindness #11:
In the spirit of Paul the Cat, the act of kindness for today is about animals. Over the past week or so, we’ve met many people walking their dogs in the woods – the dogs all seem to be in heaven at the amount of attention they are getting from their owners and the pure volume of walks they’ve been given. One person said:
“Our friends decided to adopt a puppy – the puppies came from Georgia and were going to be put down if no-one adopted them. They had been thinking about adopting one for a while but this situation made them decide to bite the bullet. The new dog really makes the self-quarantining more bearable. ”
If you do decide to adopt an animal, remember it will still need your care and attention after all of this is over – so adopt responsibly! And do remember to wash your hands after contact with pets that have been outside!
In case you are looking for them, all the resources from the bottom of prior Mayor’s Messages have been consolidated HERE.
Feel free to reach out to me if you have specific questions, concerns or stories to share: mayor@hastingsgov.org
Sincerely,
Nicola Armacost
Mayor