More Than 40 COVID-19 Cases in Saline Linked to July 2-3 House Party

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A large majority of Washtenaw County's new COVID-19 cases are linked to a house party in Saline, according to a press release issued by the Washtenaw County Health Department Monday.

A July 2-3 House part has been linked to 43 cases and 66 exposed close contacts, not including family members in the immediate household. A close contact is anyone who has had face-to-face contact with an infected person for 15 minutes or more.

Following the initial party, subsequent activities exposed retail store employees and workers at restaurants, businesses, canoe liveries, clubs, camps, athletics teammates and people in a retirement community. Exposures crossed county and state lines. At least two of the exposures were in northern Michigan.

Close, personal contacts of cases are being notified directly and instructed to self-quarantine. Washtenaw County Health Department will also work with health departments in other jurisdictions to investigate the exposures not in Washtenaw County.

Jimena Loveluck, Health Officer with the Washtenaw County Health Department, said the Saline case showed how quickly the virus spreads.

“This is a very clear example of how quickly this virus spreads and how many people can be impacted in a very short amount of time” Loveluck said. “We cannot hope to accomplish our goal of containing COVID-19 and preventing additional cases, hospitalizations and deaths without full community support and cooperation.”

Loveluck said young people are not immune to COVID-19 and need to help in the effort to stop its spread.

“We need people of all ages, including young people, to take COVID-19 seriously and follow public health guidelines and instructions. That means avoiding large gatherings without physical distancing or face coverings. It also means cooperating with the Health Department to complete case investigation and contact tracing,” Loveluck said.

Consistent with last week's reporting, most of the new cases are among young people, aged 15-25. Data shared on the health department website showed the increased spread in Saline's 48176 zip code, which covers a large portion of the Saline area. From June 16-27, the number of confirmed cases in the 48176 zip code held steady at 73. By July 10, it had reached 102. 

The health department advises anyone who attended the initial event or who knows they were exposed to self-quarantine and monitor symptoms for 14 days. They should seek immediate testing if any unusual symptoms appear.  The health department also advised that a negative test does not eliminate the need to self-quarantine.

The health department said it is attempting to reach every individual identified as a "close contact" to provide guidance and monitor for illness. Those who've not returned a call from the health department or followed guidance to isolate or self-quarantine are advised to reconsider and help "contain this growing cluster of cases."

In the press release, Saline Mayor Brian Marl joined the call for people self-isolate and work with the health department.

“None of us wants to be the reason someone in our community or county becomes seriously ill or dies,” Marl said. “We have the opportunity to work together and with our local health department to contain this as quickly as possible. We know what we need to do, and we can certainly do it.”

Only July 7 and 8, The Saline Post questioned health department officials about the party. Health department officials could not provide details last week.

"There are private parties/gatherings associated with cases across the county, including Saline. If this or other situations escalate, we may be able to provide more," said Susan Ringler-Cerniglia, health department spokesperson, on July 8.

To reduce the spread of illness, the Health Department recommends wearing a face covering, maintaining 6 feet distance from others not in your household and cleaning hands frequently. Testing is recommended for anyone reporting to work in person, with known exposure or with any mild or unusual symptoms. Symptoms may take up to 14 days after exposure to appear, and individuals are considered contagious two days before symptoms appear.

 The number of local cases, guidance for employers, prevention information, testing options and more are available at www.washtenaw.org/covid19. Health Department staff are also available to answer questions. Remember that additional details about individual cases or locations is not available at this time. Leave a message at 734-544-6700 or email l-wchdcontact@washtenaw.org.

Resources from Washtenaw County Health Department

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