Well, here we are. It’s the middle of summer and people want to think about fun in the sun.

And, sure, it would be ideal if Monongalia County Health Department thought the best use of this space would be how to grill safely or making sure pools are suitable for swimming or keeping hydrated during this hot weather.

Ah, the good old days. Although that’s all still good advice.

But as COVID-19 cases rise, in Monongalia County as well as in West Virginia and several other states, it’s (past) time to start taking this virus seriously.

It took Monongalia County from March 19 to June 30 to reach 162 COVID-18 cases. In one week, we’ve more than doubled that number, to 360 and counting. 

Added to the mix are community spread COVID-19 cases among individuals who visited bars, restaurants, gyms and other places in the past few weeks.
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And on the horizon is the return of West Virginia University students, faculty and staff, who will be tested for COVID-19 before school starts. 

Monongalia County Health Department’s disease investigators and contact tracers, who are already overwhelmed by 200 new cases in the past week, will also be performing those tasks for WVU. 

To be clear, just with the new spike in cases, this means not only contacting 200 individuals who have recently tested positive for COVID-19, but also any of their close contacts who will be advised to self-monitor for symptoms and even potentially to quarantine.

It’s summer and that means vacations, cookouts and celebration. We spend a lot of time outside during these months, even eating and cooking. But there can be more risks when grilling food if you are not careful. 

Are you grilling correctly?

The first step to ensuring your food grilling safety starts when purchasing food. While planning your event, check the recall list to make sure you are staying away from those items.

Then, while shopping, buy raw meat and poultry last. This will keep your meat as cold as you can and separated from your other food. When you are bagging your groceries and heading for the car, make sure the raw meat and poultry go into individual bags to reduce cross contamination. 

Don’t forget to purchase a meat thermometer if you do not already have one. This is an essential tool when grilling.

Go straight home after the grocery store—do your fun shopping first, not when you have meat and other cold food items with you. 

Now, we are to the step of preparing to cook those yummy summer foods. If you need to thaw your meat, safely do so in the refrigerator. If you are too hungry to wait for it to thaw in the refrigerator, then you can also safely defrost in the microwave as long as you immediately transfer it onto the grill.

If you are planning to marinade (which is a great idea—yum!), then you want to marinade in the refrigerator, not on the counter. And if you want to use it as a sauce as well, save some in a separate container before you put the raw meat into the marinade. 

We are ready to start grilling now!

Okay, not quite. We need to make sure everything is clean and ready to go. Wash your hands with soap and water. Keep your kitchen work surfaces, utensils and brushes clean as well. 

Keep a clean plate near the grill, so that when the meat is done cooking it can be transferred from the grill to a plate that is not covered with raw juices.

Okay, now we are ready—for real this time.

Get out your new (or old) meat thermometer, because it is the star of the show when grilling. Meat and poultry may brown quickly and appear done, even when they are not. Using a meat thermometer ensures that they have reached the correct internal temperature. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the following are the recommended internal temperatures:

• Grilling:
o 145°F: whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb, veal and fish
o 160°F: hamburgers and other ground beef
o 165°F: all poultry and pre-cooked meats, like hot dogs

• Smoking:
o 250°F – 300°F: inside smoker
 
• After grilling 
o 140°F or warmer until it is served 

Leftovers are also a part of the grilling experience. Who doesn’t love getting more than one meal out of a cooking session?

Refrigerate leftover meat and poultry within two hours of cooking or one hour if above 90°F. If you choose to freeze leftovers, then they should keep for about four months. Then, when reheating your leftovers, they should reach 165°—use that meat thermometer again. 

It is important to cook your food properly, so you can prevent you and your family from getting a foodborne illness. Nobody wants to be sick ever, but especially during the summer months. 

So fire up the grill and take advantage of summer while staying safe!

Taylor Shultz  is a former public information office intern at Monongalia County Health Department.

Your phone rings and the person on the other end says you have crossed paths with someone who has COVID-19. Or perhaps you already have tested positive for the illness and they are following up, because ideally a physician has informed you of your status.

Provided you don’t hang up, the contact tracer, such as the ones at Monongalia County Health Department who sprang into action in March, will have some questions for you about what you might have done during a specific period of time.

“What I do is go through each day and ask them questions about their day, ‘Did you work?’ ‘Did you go out?’ ‘Did you run errands?’ This tends to help them jog their memory,” said Jennifer Goldcamp.

Goldcamp is the director of nursing at MCHD Clinical Services, which was closed to most patients during the first 2 ½ months of the pandemic. Goldcamp and her fellow nurses became MCHD’s lead investigators and contact tracers, with help from additional employees, including a temporarily hired emergency department nurse and MCHD’s regional epidemiologist, Dr. Diane Gross. 

Usually the calls go smoothly, but sometimes they can be tricky. “Some people can be reluctant to talk about personal matters.” Goldcamp said. “People forget things. I understand that. I can’t always remember what I did yesterday.”

And, she added, “When they are called, they can feel put on the spot and get rattled. Some people are embarrassed and feel like they are in trouble.”

But nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone is in this pandemic together. 

“We’re not out to punish anybody,” she said. “We are just trying to stress the importance of isolating and quarantining to protect you and the people in the community.”

Finding people can also take some time. “In certain cases, we only have pieces of information such as parts of names or just an employer.”

Once communication is established, contact tracers continue to make daily calls or initiate a text system to monitor symptoms. This monitoring is not only to individuals who tested positive, but also to their contacts.

“We follow positives daily for 10 days and their contacts for 14 days,” Goldcamp said. 

Of course, if a contact develops symptoms, the clock resets to prevent further spread of the virus.

In the experience of Monongalia County Health Department, one positive individual can have anywhere from 1 to 20 contacts with whom an MCHD employee needs to follow up.
Contacts of contacts generally aren’t traced because the risk is low. But figuring out who is a contact takes some questioning. 

“Someone will say, ‘I said hello to my neighbor at the grocery store,’” Goldcamp said. “I wouldn’t necessarily be worried about that since it would be a short amount of time,” especially if they were wearing masks. 

Sometimes it is difficult to track individuals down, and that’s when a group of employees will suit up in N-95 masks, eye protection and maybe gloves to go out and locate those who couldn’t be reached by phone. 

“We had to do that about seven times,” said Joe Klass, MCHD Threat Preparedness specialist. “Five of those cases were new phone numbers or people not understanding what was required of them.” 

Once MCHD located them, they realized the importance of the quarantine and kept in touch with MCHD while they were being monitored.  

The first few months of the pandemic “was a flurry of activity,” Goldcamp said, quoting MCHD executive director and county health officer Dr. Lee B. Smith when he said, “We’re building the ship as we sail it.”

Now that it’s June, Goldcamp can view the experience so far with more perspective. “For the most part, people took it seriously and stayed home,” she said. “They were smart about it and it didn’t overburden hospitals.”

Cases in Monongalia County were rising slowly until the last week or so, and other areas of the state and the country are experiencing a surge in cases. Goldcamp knows that no matter what happens, activity will be ramping up in the next few months. That’s because MCHD Clinical Services be providing back-to-school vaccines and, in the fall, flu vaccines. 

And as West Virginia University tests about 35,000 students, faculty and staff members in July and August, MCHD will jump into the fray again, performing contact tracing for any positive cases that may result.

“It’s just the beginning of what we’ve gone through,” Goldcamp noted.

​June is officially recognized as Men’s Health Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness of preventable health problems and encouraging early treatment of diseases for our nation’s men and young boys. This event is celebrated by wearing blue on the Friday before Father’s Day, which is this Sunday.

Encouragement is a large goal of this month, as men nationwide sometimes experience uncertainty when it comes to some specific health issues. Approximately 30,000 men die each year from prostate cancer. It is the most common cancer in men, but can be treated more effectively if detected early. Screenings and prostate health exams may seem invasive, but in reality, they are an important step toward maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

There is also the idea that men who regularly visit their doctors are weak. The attitude of “it’s nothing” or “I’ll get over it” not only takes away from your quality of life, but can possibly cost you your life. It is important to talk to your doctor or health care provider for any health concerns you may have.

The Men’s Health Network, which sponsors Men’s Health Month, reports that on average, men die five years younger than women. Most of the factors that contribute to their shorter lifespans are preventable. On top of regular visits to the doctor, Men’s Health Month also encourages physical activity. There are countless benefits to getting active. Maintaining proper levels of exercise can greatly reduce the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and many other health issues. 

Starting simple is a great way to build motivation to work out. From daily walks to basic calisthenics, every little bit can add up to something significant. By staying on a routine and working hard, you may find yourself running laps around the block in no time… or maybe just walking for long durations and more often.  

A silent epidemic continues to affect boys and men worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Center for Health, men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women. Similar to visiting the doctor, the belief that men just have to deal with problems themselves also causes long-term damage. Let the men in your life know that it is OK to talk about how they feel. The conversation surrounding mental health is weak, especially in men. You can make the difference by being open to help, or by reaching out to help others.

Of course, COVID-19 has made some of these healthier choices more difficult. But physicians are starting to see patients for routine checkups and regular health screens again. And there are several ways to exercise even without access to a gym: walks or runs outside are great. There also has never been a better time to work out inside, with a large quantity of free YouTube content geared to a variety of ways to exercise. Check it out; there’s probably something that’s a great fit for you. It also can help relieve anxiety if current events are stressing you out.

This June, remember the important role men play in our lives. Let them know that it is okay to discuss and act on their health. Take part in Wear Blue Friday, which recognizes both Men’s Health Month and prostate cancer awareness. 

The U.S. Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health will also be observing Wear Blue Day. In addition to prostate cancer and the other health risks, another disease some men must deal with is sickle cell anemia, which, in the United States, affects mostly individuals of sub-Saharan African descent. The illness, which usually develops during infanthood or childhood, can lead to a variety of complications, including vision loss, leg ulcers and stroke. Sickle cell anemia can be monitored and treated, usually with blood transfusions.

Most importantly, for the men reading this, take care of yourselves! You work hard to make sure your family has what they need, but part of what they need is you. Get physically active and regularly visit a doctor or healthcare provider. Take this month to reevaluate your actions, so that you can be there for them for many years to come.

Are you one of the 1,000 who got free COVID-19 testing two weeks ago in Monongalia County, all of whom received negative results? Congratulations!
And, what now? 
It feels great to get a negative test. I got tested and was happy to learn that my sneezing and sinus activity can be chalked up to seasonal allergies. 
However, I also know that testing negative might give people a false sense of security. When Monongalia County Health Department was promoting the free testing, we asked individuals to wear a mask in public and to stay at home until they received their results. 
We knew the latter might have been difficult for some, but that is what we implore symptomatic individuals to do when they get tested. As it turned out, only two symptomatic people showed up for the free Monongalia County testing.
I got a phone call from a woman who wanted to know if she could walk her dog with a mask on after she got tested and before she got the results. I asked her if she was symptomatic. She said no. I said that would be fine. And then she mentioned, “And wear a mask until I get the results?”
And that is where I had to be the bad guy. “Well, no, we are recommending wearing a mask whenever you go out into public. Even if you test negative for COVID-19, it doesn’t mean that you are immune from getting it in the future.”
Dr. Lee B. Smith, MCHD’s executive director and county health officer, has strongly urged residents to wear masks in public. There are places in other states where they are mandated, but not in West Virginia, because enforcing such a measure can be difficult.
Plus, Mountaineers are always free, right? But, when I hear stories about West Virginians, it’s often about how kind they are and how they will go out of their way to help a stranger. 
And that’s what wearing a mask is. Your mask helps protect others; when they wear masks, it protects you. 
The Centers for Disease Control also is on board with individuals wearing masks to lessen the spread of COVID-19. According to information on the CDC website: 
“COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Studies and evidence on infection control report that these droplets usually travel around 6 feet.” 
Furthermore, the CDC notes, whether masks be of the homemade cloth variety or the type health professionals wear, they “may slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.”
That’s because not everyone who tests positive for COVID-19 develops symptoms. And then there are others who might shed the virus before they know they have the illness. 
So as more businesses open up and as we hope for a future that includes more activities we enjoy, wearing a mask, in conjunction with social distancing and frequent and thorough hand washing, are great ways to avoid getting COVID-19 and will help put us on the track to whatever the new normal will be.
I’ve seen some people express that wearing a mask is tantamount to living in fear. I want to ask them, does wearing a seat belt mean you are living in fear? Or a helmet if you ride a bicycle or motorcycle? Or sunscreen? 
Wearing a mask is not a sign of weakness or a nod to fear. It’s just a sensible practice everyone can do to help out their fellow community members as well as themselves.