As of April 1st, the Paris-Lamar County Health Department has placed 175 Lamar County residents in quarantine over coronavirus concerns!
Paris Mayor Steve Clifford said that due to our inability to test, we do not have accurate numbers on exactly how many people in the Paris area are infected with COVID-19. However, we do have an indirect measurement of how fast this virus might be spreading throughout the community.
He further said the rate of new infections in Lamar County is very likely paralleling the rate of people being placed in quarantine by the health department. If this is the case, then we are currently experiencing exponential spread of the virus in our community.
Below is information released from Mayor Clifford:
Those people who do not have a doctor often call the Lamar County Health Department. They speak with a staff member who assesses their symptoms. If the health department staff person believes that there is a significant risk that the person might be infected with COVID-19, the person is instructed to self-quarantine and is monitored daily by the health department. This does not include those who have been quarantined on the advice of their physician.
Many of these people are not infected with the virus, but many almost certainly are. The exact number of people infected with the virus cannot be known, but what we can know is the general trend of people being placed in quarantine as this should fairly accurately represent the trend of the rate of infection in our community.
Attached to this post is a graph of the total number of people being monitored in quarantine by the Lamar County Health Department on four separate dates.
Understand that the numbers in the graph do NOT represent the total number of infections in Lamar County. The actual number could be more or less, but the true number of infections is not knowable. But please notice the obvious trend.
The rate of new infections in Lamar County is very likely paralleling the rate of people being placed in quarantine by the health department. If this is the case, then we are currently experiencing exponential spread of the virus in our community.
The graph suggests that the number of infections is doubling every four days.
We MUST slow down the spread of this virus or we run the risk of overwhelming our medical facilities within a few weeks. Everyone MUST follow social distancing guidelines. Do not gather in groups of larger than 10. Stay at least 6 feet away from anyone else. Please do not congregate together in places like churches, auditoriums or other public or private areas. Only leave your home to go to essential businesses like grocery stores, and only send one person from your household. Parents, keep your children at home. Do not allow them to congregate with their friends. For too many people, this pandemic hasn’t seemed real. It is very real, and its effect will very soon be felt in our community. Please take appropriate precautions and everyone please be safe.
