April 7, 2020

 Over 20,000 individuals across the nation are reported as recovered from COVID-19. Statewide confirmed cases have increased to 1,182, up from 1,132 reported yesterday. Union County remains at a total of three confirmed cases. There are no new cases reported in Wallowa County which remains at one confirmed case. The Wallowa County case is not located in Wallowa County but is a resident of the County.

There has been some confusion over the terms frequently heard from the Oregon Health Authority and other public health experts surrounding discussions of COVID-19. Some of these terms include Person Under Monitoring, Person Under Investigation, Isolation and Quarantine. Which term applies depends on whether the person has signs of illness and whether the person is being separated from others.
• Persons under monitoring (PUMs) are those individuals who do not have signs of illness but might have been exposed to a disease that can spread to others. PUMs may be asked to limit their movement and contact with others. They may also be asked to isolate themselves from others by avoiding people and public places.
• Persons under investigation (PUIs) have been exposed to a disease and then developed signs of illness. Public health officials worry that PUIs might have the disease and could spread it to others. Health officials often want to learn more about these people and their illness to better understand how to prevent further spread of the illness. Health officials may work with PUIs to arrange testing for COVID-19. Persons under investigation may be asked to limit their movement and contact with others. They may also be asked to isolate themselves from others by avoiding people and public places.
• Isolation is used to separate people who have active illness from people who are healthy. Isolation restricts the movement of people who have an illness to prevent the spread of the disease to others.
• Quarantine is used to restrict the movement of people who might have been exposed to a disease but do not show symptoms. Quarantine is used to ensure that if those under quarantine become sick, it won’t happen when they are in a place that exposes others.

A cough this time of year could be due to seasonal allergies. Some questions to ask yourself include:
• Is this how you usually feel this time of year?
• Do your symptoms improve after taking your regular allergy medication?
• If you are coughing more than usual, have a fever or shortness of breath, you should call your healthcare provider.