SAN LUIS VALLEY – The Alamosa County Public Health announced Alamosa County’s second Coronavirus outbreak in the past three months. 

In a statement from San Luis Care Center Executive Director, Patrick Morden from Tuesday, it was confirmed that a resident and an associate had each tested positive for the virus. Wednesday a second resident was confirmed positive prompting officials to declare the institution an outbreak site. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), an outbreak is “the occurrence of more cases of disease than expected in a given area or among a specific group of people over a particular period of time.” 

According to Morden’s statement, the entire care center will undergo testing on both Thursday and Friday. 

More broadly, Sixteen new cases for the SLV have been reported since yesterday, 11 for Alamosa County, 2 each for Costilla and Rio Grande, and 1 for Saguache county. The total number of cumulative cases is now 276. Twenty-two total people have been hospitalized, and 191 have completed isolation. There have been 5 fatalities of individuals with COVID-19. Numbers are updated weekdays at slvemergency.org/slv-covid-19/.

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, a negative test result does not necessarily mean you won’t develop COVID-19 after being exposed. It may be too early in the virus’s incubation period for the test to detect viral material. That is why if you are notified by Public Health that you need to quarantine, you must continue to stay away from others for at least 14 days post-exposure, even with a negative test. Testing is most effective about 7 days after exposure. See more here: https://covid19.colorado.gov/covid-19-in-colorado/about-covid-19/testing-for-covid-19

Throughout the pandemic, Public Health has strived to educate the public about how to best protect themselves and others from transmitting COVID-19 using the most recent scientific knowledge from public health authorities such as the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In the words of the American Public Health Association, the purpose of Public Health is to promote and protect the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play. Public Health not only educates the public about COVID-19, but also other communicable diseases (such as influenza, hepatitis A, and HIV); as well as tobacco, pediatric health, and mental/behavioral health. Public Health aims to improve the quality of life and extend the life expectancy of all individuals living within a community. See more at: https://www.apha.org/what-is-public-health

The SLV will continue to experience critical fire weather conditions this year due to extreme drought. It is important to be vigilant and know the restrictions on burning in your area. 

If you wish to pursue testing for COVID-19, please contact your primary care doctor or call one of the numbers below to start the screening process:

For symptomatic individuals only, call:

• Rio Grande Hospital 719-657-4990
• SLVHealth Respiratory Clinic 719-589-2511 ext. 9 

For symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals who have had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 positive individual, call:

• Valley-Wide Health Systems 719-589-3658 ext. 9 (M-F only)

For general SLV COVID-19 related questions: [email protected], 719-480-8719