Cook County enters crucial phase of COVID-19 pandemic

The next two to three months will be the defining months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Cook County, according to Dr. Kurt Farchmin from Sawtooth Mountain Clinic.

“How we carry ourselves in the next eight weeks will define what I tell my grandkids about the pandemic of 2020,” Farchmin said in a statement before an Oct. 28 interview on WTIP.

It took until June 10 for Cook County to report its first COVID-19 case. As of Nov. 1, the case count stands at 24, with nearly a dozen active cases in the community to start the new month, including two new cases added Sunday.

As the case count continues to grow in Cook County, local healthcare officials consistently reiterate the importance of wearing a mask in public, maintaining a safe distance of at least six feet from others, washing your hands and staying home if you are feeling sick.

As they talk with more people who become infected with the virus locally, Farchmin said he and other medical professionals in Cook County are learning about how COVID-19 starts.

“In the early phases it can look like strep throat, a sinus infection, the common cold or even a stomach bug,” he said.

Despite the rising counts of COVID locally, Farchmin said there are still grounds for optimism that the Cook County community can come out okay through the pandemic, but only if protocols and recommendations regarding public health are followed and taken seriously.

“We can do this,” Farchmin said, “we have already done amazing things here.”

The audio below is a short audio clip from Farchmin’s Oct. 28 update on WTIP.

Joe Friedrichs November 10, 2020