As COVID-19 cases in Jo Daviess County rise more sharply than at any other point in the pandemic, elected officials and healthcare workers are warning the public.
“The volume of [new] cases is particularly alarming,” Dr. Ralph Losey told The Voice. Losey is the Chief Medical Officer at Midwest Medical Center of Galena, the only hospital in the county.
“There are only two things that will stop this virus: social distancing and wearing masks,” Dr. Losey continued.
Jim Davis, the village president of Scales Mound, also called the situation “alarming.” He told The Voice he is frustrated by people who refuse to follow quarantine procedures after testing positive for COVID.
“We’re spoiled rotten Americans,” Davis bluntly stated.
This concern from elected officials and healthcare workers comes as Jo Daviess County has seen a dramatic spike in COVID cases in recent days. The county has had 106 COVID cases, but a third of those have tested positive in the last 9 days alone.
Dr. Losey considers this surge to be Jo Daviess County’s second wave. Earlier cases were traced to businesses and tourist destinations, meaning they were likely brought in from outside the county. However, Losey said that this recent surge means that there is community spread occurring within Jo Daviess’ towns.
Many cases are centered in East Dubuque and Galena, the two cities arguably most connected to other regions. However, nearly every town in Jo Daviess has seen at least one positive case.
Donald Schaible, the mayor of Hanover, told The Voice that his town has 6 COVID cases. Hanover’s population is estimated to be around 770.
Schaible said that most citizens in his town are “trying” to wear masks and follow health guidelines.
Scales Mound Village President Jim Davis said that he has been trying to educate his neighbors about how COVID can spread through the air.
But Davis said that he is aware of reports that citizens who have tested positive in Scales Mound have been seen at bars and a grocery store during their quarantine period.
He told The Voice that people who don’t take quarantine seriously “don’t understand what they’re doing to the rest of the community”. They are “ruining it for everybody,” he said.
Dr. Losey adopted a similar tone, saying that it is “unacceptable in our society” not to care about a disease which can cause permanent damage and death.
Jo Daviess County has seen one death from COVID so far: a person in their 50s.
Dr. Losey said that he has witnessed the power of mask-wearing firsthand; no healthcare workers at Midwest Medical of Galena have been infected by the COVID patients being treated at that hospital.
As COVID cases rise and no vaccine is available, the best healthcare workers and elected officials can do is remind the public of the need to follow CDC guidelines.
It is unclear when the COVID surge in Jo Daviess County will slow down.
COVID case counts are a reflection of what happened two weeks ago, Losey told The Voice. Because the virus incubates in the human body for a period of one to two weeks, this week’s surge reflects the transmission habits of about three weeks ago.
“It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” Davis said.
