March 28, 2020, Rio Grande County has received notification of another positive case of COVID-19. The individual is a male in his 60s who lives in the northern part of the county.

This will be the County’s third test-confirmed positive case and fourth total. The Colorado State Emergency Operations Center has Rio Grande County with four confirmed cases as of March 30th at 4 p.m.

The Rio Grande County Public Health Department continues to follow up with lab-confirmed positives cases and contacts. Individuals are being released from isolation by public health, as appropriate. 

As a reminder, when positive results are received, out of both the respect for the individual and national privacy laws, Public Health does not release information regarding the identity of those who receive positive test results. If you know someone who has received a positive test result, please be respectful of their privacy and do not share that information with others.

Community transmission is occurring in Colorado. In the San Luis Valley due to limited testing, many individuals are being asked to self-quarantine or isolate without being tested. A positive test is only one, very limited indicator of the virus in our community. Knowing who has or has not been tested does not change the need to continue to observe social distancing and the Governor’s stay at home order.

If you believe you have been exposed, quarantine at home for 14 days and be observant of any onset of symptoms. Individuals with symptoms should isolate themselves at home until you have met the following factors: At least 3 days (72 hours) without fever, with no use of fever-reducing medications; AND improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); AND at least 7 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

If you have questions, use the SLV COVID-19 information hotline (719-480-8719). Questions around symptoms and testing can be directed to the local nurse hotlines: Rio Grande Hospital nurse line (719-657-4990), SLV Health nurse Line (719-589-2511 ext. 9) and Valley-Wide Health Systems nurse line (719-589-3658, ext 9). They will assess your condition over the phone and give you instructions on what to do next.

Continue to find the most current information on this response in the San Luis Valley at www.facebook.com/slvemergency and the www.slvemergency.org website.

Other accurate sources of information include:

General COVID information: CO HELP line 1-877-462-2911 (English and Spanish)

Colorado updates and guidance: covid19.colorado.gov/

CDC updates and guidance: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html