Public Health expert: Travel from hot spots could spark local second wave of COVID-19

By Andy Gardner

CANTON. St. Lawrence County could be vulnerable to a second wave of COVID-19 due to unnecessary travel to and from high-transmission areas, according to one of the county’s top public health experts.

Dr. Andrew Williams addressed the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators Finance Committee during a June 29 meeting streamed online via YouTube. Dr. Williams is president of the St. Lawrence County Board of Health.

“Even though the first wave seems to have passed us … it’s very possible we could see a second wave of COVID in New York State and St. Lawrence County,” Dr. Williams told the legislators, because of people traveling from hot spots. “I do think from a public health perspective, our biggest risk comes from travelers from high-risk regions … the only way to prevent that second wave is to restrict unnecessary travel.”

He said that although New York state and St. Lawrence County have had a steady decrease in cases, “many other states in the country … are in the midst of the pandemic.”

The doctor said although temperature checks and health questionnaires can help detect those who may have symptoms of COVID-19, it doesn’t catch asymptomatic carriers who could be spreading the illness for up to two weeks.

He said the most important anti-COVID measures are wearing a mask that covers the mouth and nose while in public, frequent hand washing, social distancing and “encouraging people to sort of be aware of their own health” and if they become ill, voluntarily isolate and contact a healthcare provider.

Dr. Dana McGuire, St. Lawrence County Public Health director, talked about the importance of wearing masks in public after a question from Legislator John Burke, R-Norfolk.

“What message would you have … for people who choose not to wear a mask in a grocery store or public situations?” Burke asked.

“There’s really two ways to prevent the transmission … that’s to limit the contact with those who might already be positive, and the other way is to decrease the spread from those contacts,” McGuire responded. “One of the ways to increase the spread is through the (oral) droplets (released from speaking, coughing or sneezing) … It’s not that I’m trying to make people do something they don’t want to. It’s trying to decrease the spread. If we can keep the droplets to yourself, we can decrease the spread.”

Later in the meeting, Legislator Kevin Acres, R-Madrid asked if all asymptomatic people are actually spreading the coronavirus to others around them.

Dr. Williams said they are most likely spreading it “if they’re shedding virus that can be detected by a [test].”

McGuire noted that of the 23 new COVID-19 cases discovered in the county since the first phase of re-opening, 18 of them never showed any symptoms, and one COVID patient died.