COVID-19 hits Klamath County [VIDEO]

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - Officials from Klamath County Public Health, and Sky Lakes Medical Center held a press conference Saturday regarding a presumptive case of COVID-19 in Klamath County.

Officials confirmed that the case is travel-related and not community spread.

Further details on the case were not provided due to confidentiality reasons - but they did confirm the existence of the case and that measures are in place to reduce the potential for further exposure.

Dr. Wendy Waren, KCPH Health Officer could not confirm or deny if others were being monitored or tested, but did say that all parties that might have been at risk have been contacted.

“This case is directly related to travel exposure. It is not a case of community transmission,” said Jennifer Little, Director of Klamath County Public Health.

Little continued, “Public Health values the rights of community members to enjoy total confidentiality regarding their medical information. So no identifiable information will be released about any Klamath County presumptive cases.

Little explained, “As soon as the notification of a presumptive case was received, KCPH began working to identify all close contacts and made proper notification to include risk assessment. Contact investigation allows KCPH to ensure that those at risk are monitored for development of any signs or symptoms.

“Contacts are monitored for 14 days following their last known exposure, and are cooperating fully at this time. There is no identified risk to the greater community in Klamath County, and there is no community spread at this time.

“As testing becomes more widely available, we do anticipate the identification of additional cases.