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A negative pressure isolation room at Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center. Courtesy photo

Chaffee County Public Health (CCPH) has received confirmation of a new positive case of the coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the overall county total to 69 cases.

A press release said the new case is a 65 year-old-male, who was hospitalized at Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (HRRMC) with symptoms of COVID-19 on the evening of May 22. This patient is currently in full isolation. Following HRRMC protocol, each patient is tested for COVID-19 prior to being admitted. All HRRMC employees followed strict precautions and wore full PPE when interacting with the patient, rigorously reducing the risk of perpetuating exposure within the community.

CCPH has begun investigating the case and believes the patient had very little close contact with the community, outside of his immediate family, the press release stated. All close contacts to the patient have been instructed to follow isolation and quarantine recommendations.

“As Chaffee County begins to reopen, this case is a reminder that COVID-19 is still circulating in our community and surrounding areas. It is important to recognize that safety measures such as minimizing social contacts, staying home whenever possible, wearing masks, maintaining distance, and not leaving your home when sick, continue to be important measures each one of us must take,” says CCPH Nurse Emily Anderson.

Prior to this positive case, Chaffee County had not had an active case of COVID-19 in the community since April 11.