Public Health

All people 12 years of age and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. If you have not yet had your vaccine, you can get it when you are out of quarantine. If you are diagnosed with COVID-19 you should wait until you are out of isolation and feeling better. If you received any medications or were hospitalized during your COVID-19 illness, check with your doctor on when the best time is for you to receive the vaccine. If you have had any serious reactions to any type of vaccines in the past, check with your doctor about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

There are 3 different quarantine options available for most people.

14 day quarantine:

A 14-day quarantine is the safest way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to others and the option recommended by public health. You are required to quarantine for 14 days if you live in a long-term care facility or other licensed group setting (group home, adult foster care home, etc). 

If you or anyone in your house get any of the symptoms of COVID-19:

A contact tracer is a trained person who will contact you to check on you to see if you have any COVID-19 symptoms every day during your quarantine period. This person will refer you to any help you may need in order to stay home during your quarantine time. Please answer the phone when the contact tracer calls you.

For more information on the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) and the Community Health Assessment (CHA):

www.marionpolkcommunityhealth.org

Did you test positive?

Most people infected with COVID-19 do not need to isolate for a set number of days. However, one should be aware of their potential to infect others around them. 

The Center for Disease Control recommends everyone 6 months of age and older receive a flu vaccine. Please call your primary care provider to schedule an appointment. Flu vaccine is also available at many pharmacies in our county. If your primary care provider does not offer the flu vaccine or you do not have insurance, please call us to schedule an appointment. We are not accepting walk-in appointments at this time. 

Discrimination, Stigma, and COVID-19

Polk County health officials, together with state and federal authorities, are closely monitoring the outbreak of COVID-19 and working locally to keep our community healthy. That starts with sharing facts and not spreading fear.

Some residents have experienced acts of racism and xenophobia, while some businesses have even reported fewer customers because of myths surrounding COVID-19.

Taking care of yourself and others at home

An individual not experiencing cough, fever, or other signs of illness does not need to seek care or testing for COVID-19.

Practice everyday prevention. This means washing your hands regularly, cleaning frequently touched surfaces and taking extra care if in the company of someone at higher risk of being infected with COVID-19.