Hoosiers age 16 and up, healthcare workers, first responders, and educators can now begin scheduling appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Go to https://ourshot.in.gov to schedule an appointment. Those needing assistance with registration can call 211 or one of Indiana’s Area Agencies on Aging. A caregiver or loved one also may make an appointment on behalf of an Eligible senior 

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On April 1, 2021, the Lake County Board of Health convened for the purpose of discussing Governor Holcomb's announcement to replace Indiana's mandatory face mask executive order with a face mask advisory on April 6, 2021. In light of Governor Holcomb's State-wide face mask advisory, the Lake County Board of Health is henceforth rescinding any prior face mask mandates established by the Lake County Health Department.

Click the "read more..." link below for more information.

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The Lake County Health Department is looking for registration facilitators and vaccinators for several sites. Click "read more..." link for more information.

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The CDC now recommends that people wear cloth face coverings in public, even if you don’t feel sick. This may help reduce transmission from people who are asymptomatic (people who don’t feel sick but still have an infection). More information: 

• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html
• Proper Mask Wearing Technique

No, a negative test is not required. However, at least 10 days should have passed since the symptoms first appeared, and at least 24 hours since the last fever without the use of fever­ reducing medications and COVID-19 symptoms have improved to end the isolation.

There is no FDA approved antibody test available in the United States. When an antibody test is approved, we will work with the Indiana State Department of Health to make it available in Lake County.

Use disinfectant wipes to clean surfaces, and if wipes are not available, diluted bleach.

Clothes should be washed daily with soap and water, but if you are unable to wash clothes daily, they should be placed in a laundry bag and tied and left in a separate bathroom used by the person with symptoms.

A bleach solution can be prepared by mixing 1/3 cup of bleach per one gallon of water or four teaspoons bleach per quart of water.

It's important for everyone to follow a schedule, even at home, in order to maintain some structure. Try to avoid excessive screen time. It’s OK to watch or read the news to stay updated on the current situation, but avoid watching it all day because doing so can cause undue stress and anxiety.

Call family and friends often and FaceTime or Skype if possible. Stay active by exercising regularly and maintain a healthy sleep schedule. Make sure to enrich your schedule with activities you enjoy or projects you might be passionate about, and clearly communicate with those you share a residence with during an extended period of isolation/quarantine. If you have a psychiatrist or therapist, please contact them for further instructions.

Lake County receives its national stock pile of emergency supplies, which is distributed to local nursing homes, home health agencies, dialysis centers, police officers and non-hospital employee physicians.

Everyone’s requirements are different, and we determine how to prioritize based on various levels of immediate need and the availability of our supplies. Lake County hospitals receive their own supplies directly from the Indiana State Department of Health in a separate process.

Nurses are fielding and making 400-plus phone calls daily — either by answering COVID-19 questions from the public or calling out to track active and potential cases.

The nurses are also tracking all positive cases and their recent contacts to advise quarantine precautions.

The emergency preparedness team is attending risk management meetings and making sure that emergency supplies reach the departments in need of them.

The county’s food safety department is still inspecting operating drive-thru restaurants and eateries with takeout to keep the food safety. The health department is working in conjunction with the infectious disease divisions of the hospitals, she said.

Yes, the LCHD is doing contract tracing for high risk close contacts of confirmed cases.

The LCHD is accessible by phone weekdays from 8:30am to 4:30pm. The building is closed to the public. We receive a large number of calls daily and are doing our best to answer them. If you’re unable to reach us quickly, please be patient.

People with pre-existing conditions should make sure to take their prescribed medications regularly, receive medications by mail and avoid the pharmacy in-person when possible. They should stay active in the house, exercise or be active outdoors if the weather permits. Vavilala said it's OK to postpone regular checkups if the person doesn’t have any active health concerns

Exercise health safety precautions: Wash your hands frequently; avoid touching the face with unwashed hands; and try to maintain a safe distance of 6 feet from co-workers if possible to avoid droplet transmission.

A close contact is a person who was either within 6 feet of a person confirmed to have COVID-19 for about 10 minutes or more, or had close physical contact with a confirmed case. Close physical contact includes hugging, touching, sharing household items like eating utensils, or being around a sick person coughing.

Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others this year. Limit gatherings to people living in the household. If you are having guests to your home, be sure that people are wearing masks and staying 6 feet apart.

1. COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory illness caused by a new Coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. People with COVID-19 sometimes have a cough, fever, feel like it's hard to breathe, or even lose their sense of taste or smell. Other symptoms include congestion or runny nose, diarrhea, headache, nausea or vomiting, muscle pain or fatigue, sore throat or chills. Symptoms range from mild to severe and may appear 2-14 days after exposure. People who have tested positive for COVID-19 do not need to quarantine or get tested again for up to 3 months as long as they do not develop symptoms again. 
2. Hospitals are nearing capacity due to the increase in positive COVID-19 cases. Emergency rooms are being forced to bypass patients in some cases due to the lack of bed availability in hospitals.

Isolation is for a person who has tested positive for COVID-19. Isolation means staying home and separating from others in the household by staying in a separate bedroom and using a separate bathroom, if possible. Isolation is discontinued after 72 hours without symptoms and at least 7 days since the onset of symptoms.

Self-quarantine is for a close contact of a confirmed COVID-19 case. Self-quarantine means staying home for 14 days and monitoring for symptoms. Check your temperature twice a day and stay away from others in the home who are vulnerable. If there are no symptoms after 14 days, self-quarantine is over.  Information on symptoms of COVID-19 can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

Social distancing means avoiding close contact with others in order to reduce risk of spreading COVID-19. This includes trying to maintain a distance of 6 feet from others, avoiding social gatherings, avoiding nonessential travel, and practicing hygiene like frequent hand washing and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces.

The LCHD Health Officer and staff are working in coordination with the Indiana State Department of Health and infectious disease specialists in local hospitals to closely follow and implement CDC recommendations for the protection of the local community. We are also readying our emergency preparedness team and coordinating with various government and non government agencies.

     *   Nurses and support staff are calling all people who are confirmed COVID-19 positive in order to advise self-quarantine and isolation precautions. Nurses are also contacting their high risk close contacts. Positive individuals are advised to inform all of their close contacts of their risk and advise self-quarantine. Due to the high number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Lake County, our nurses are no longer able to contact all close contacts, but are still contacting those close contacts who are high risk. For more information about who is high risk, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-at-higher-risk.html

     *   The food safety division inspectors are inspecting take-out and drive-through restaurants to ensure adherence to all food safety guidelines. Inspectors also respond to complaints regarding any sit-down restaurants that still operate. Those restaurants will be closed down as sit-down service is in violation of the Governor’s order.

     *   The environmental safety division inspectors are investigating non-essential businesses still operating in Lake County. If it is a clear violation of the Governor’s order, then they can be shut down. As the Governor’s order is updated often and open to interpretation regarding essential businesses, we will work with our legal department for clarification and our legal department will follow up.

     *   Our emergency preparedness directors work in close contact with the District 1 emergency preparedness team, hospitals, and all local emergency teams. POD (point of distribution) sites are located in various parts of Lake County in case of medication or vaccination distribution or other emergency needs. At this time, there is no COVID-19 vaccination.

     *   Vital records (birth and death certificates) are currently processed by mail.

     *   The LCHD receives a supply of PPE (personal protective equipment) from the National Stockpile via the Indiana State Department of Health and distributes it to necessary departments and individuals according to the guidelines. Hospitals, local nursing homes, dialysis centers, home health agencies, police, and physicians who are not employed by a hospital can request PPE including masks, gowns, face shields, and gloves. PPE will be distributed depending on LCHD availability.

The spread of the COVID-19 virus must be taken seriously by all members of the community due to its aggressive nature and severe medical consequences. It is vital that each and every one of us follow the advice of health care professionals, health departments and medical institutions. Even if someone only experiences mild symptoms, they may infect high-risk individuals, such as the elderly or immunocompromised persons, whose conditions could become fatal.

We are all responsible for protecting our personal health as well as the health of our fellow community members and should do everything possible to reduce the spread of this infection.

Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA. A limited supply of the approved vaccines are currently being administered to health care personnel that have direct patient contact and at long-term care facilities. The ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) has developed an allocation prioritization list dependent on individual risk factors. When vaccine is available (tentatively mid-January) the Lake County Health Department along with other partners will start vaccinating community members based on CDC/ACIP recommendations. Further infonnation on vaccination locations and times will be posted on the Lake County Health Department's website and other multi-media sources when this information becomes available.

1. Please visit https://www.coronavirus.in.gov/vaccine/index.htm for more information. 
2. The Lake County Health Department is seeking volunteers to assist with vaccinating and registering at vaccination sites. Please contact Sandy Smoljan at smoljsl@lakecountyin.org

Older adults and people with underlying medical conditions like lung or heart disease or diabetes are at higher risk of developing more serious complications from COVID-19 and should seek care as soon as symptoms arrive, Vavilala said.

Go to the ER if you have difficulty breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or disorientation, and/or bluish lips or face, and call your primary care physician if you exhibit other concerning symptoms, she added.

Please call the ER ahead of your arrival to receive the correct instructions to ensure your medical safety as well as that of the hospital staff.

Positive results will be available from testing sites in Merrillville and Gary in approximately 72 hours via phone call. Everyone will receive results in 5-6 working days.

Click HERE for latest information on COVID testing in Lake County.

1. If you or a member of your family has been in close contact (within 6 feet for of more than 15 minutes over a 24-hour period, even if you are wearing a mask to lower your risk of infection) with someone who has COVID-19, you should quarantine. People in quarantine should stay home, separate themselves from others and monitor their health. You should also quarantine if you provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19, had direct physical contact with the person (hugged or kissed them), shared eating or drinking utensils or if someone you know with COVID-19 sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you. If you are symptomatic or waiting for a test result, you and other members of your household should quarantine. b. Quarantine can end after 10 days if the person has not developed any symptoms. A test is not required. 
2. Quarantine can end after seven days if the person tests negative for COVID-19 on day five, six or seven of the quarantine and has not developed any symptoms.