ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Another Roanoke County resident has tested positive for COVID-19.
Dr. Molly O’Dell, who directs the Virginia Department of Health’s coronavirus response in the Roanoke and Alleghany health districts, announced Friday two Roanoke County women now have COVID-19. One is in her 20s and the other is in her 60s.
“We know COVID-19 is out there," Dr. O’Dell said. "This has upended every aspect of our normal lives.”
A total of three people have tested positive in Dr. O’Dell’s district so far. In addition to the two Roanoke County cases, a Botetourt County woman in her 80s became Southwest Virginia’s first confirmed COVID-19 case last week.
Dr. O’Dell called the COVID-19 situation the most complex situation she has ever faced in her career. Part of the issue is a scarcity of test kits, since the VDH relies on Virginia’s state laboratory for testing.
“We need test kits,” Dr. O’Dell said. “We can get our results faster [than private testing], but it’s limited. Meanwhile, the labs that are doing the private testing are bogged down and backed up.”
Dr. O’Dell said the lack of test kits has caused the VDH to administer tests to high-risk patients first, such as people who have recently traveled or those who have knowingly come in contact with a positive COVID-19 case. She said once the supply of test kits opens up, there are plans to bring testing directly to people in Roanoke and Alleghany counties.
“As soon as we get test kits, we want to be able to offer drive-thru testing," Dr. O’Dell said. "What’s going to also limit the availability of testing is the availability of the appropriate personal protective equipment.”
Since testing is limited, Dr. O’Dell believes social distancing is the most important way to prevent COVID-19 from spreading, as evidenced by how the disease has spread in other areas of the world.
“We’re further down the pandemic curve, so we can learn from that," Dr. O’Dell said. "Everyone is sharing. We’re all in this together.”
Dr. O’Dell said it’s okay to step outside and do essential tasks, as long as you are six feet away from anyone else. She believes Southwest Virginia is well-equipped to slow the spread of COVID-19 because of the region’s relatively low population density.
“Where this epidemic started in China, there are 3,000 people living there per square mile," Dr. O’Dell said. “Here, I think it’s an average of 120 people per square mile, and that’s on our side. Everybody is being called on to be a good citizen, and part of our role as being good citizens now is to practice social distancing.”