City of Big Spring-COVID-19 Information

01/21/2022

01/21/2022

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT 1/21/2022
From: Mayor Shannon Thomason, Big Spring Emergency Management Coordinator

Handwashing

You can help yourself and your loved ones stay healthy by washing your hands often, especially during these key times when you are likely to get and spread germs:

• Before, during, and after preparing food.
• Before eating food.
• Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea.
• Before and after treating a cut or wound.
• After using the toilet.
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet.
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste.
• After handling pet food or pet treats.
• After touching garbage.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, you should also clean hands:

• After you have been in a public place and touched an item or surface that may be frequently touched by other people, such as door handles, tables, gas pumps, shopping carts, or electronic
cashier registers/screens, etc.
• Before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth because that’s how germs enter our bodies.

Follow Five Steps to Wash Your Hands the Right Way

Washing your hands is easy, and it’s one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire
community—from your home and workplace to childcare facilities and hospitals.

1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.
4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations. If soap and water are not readily available, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in many situations; however, sanitizers do not get rid of all types of germs. Additionally, hand sanitizers may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy and they might not remove harmful chemicals from hands like pesticides and heavy metals.

01/21/2022

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT 1/21/2022
From: Mayor Shannon D. Thomason, Big Spring Emergency Management Coordinator

COVID-19 and Influenza

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. The CDC continues to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19. Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.

Look for emergency warning signs for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion
• Inability to wake or stay awake
• Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone

COVID-19 seems to spread more easily than flu and causes more serious illnesses in some people. It can also take longer before people show symptoms and people can be contagious for longer. Because some of the symptoms of flu and COVID-19 are similar, it may be hard to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone, and testing may be needed to help confirm a diagnosis.

01/21/2022

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT 1/21/2022
From: Mayor Shannon Thomason, Big Spring Emergency Management Coordinator

Prevent the Spread of COVID-19

If you are sick with COVID-19 or think you might have COVID-19, follow the steps below to care for yourself and to help protect other people in your home and community.

Stay home. Do not leave your home, except to get medical care. Do not visit public areas and avoid public transportation, ridesharing, or taxis. Separate yourself from other people as much as possible. If
you have to be around other people or animals in or outside of the home, wear a mask.

Tell your close contacts that they may have been exposed to COVID-19. An infected person can spread COVID-19 starting 48 hours before the person has any symptoms or tests positive.

Monitor your symptoms of COVID-19 including fever, cough, or other symptoms. Seek emergency medical attention immediately if you have any of the following:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion
• Inability to wake or stay awake
• Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone
*This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.

Get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19. While waiting for test results, stay away from others including those living in your household. If you are sick, wear a mask over your nose and mouth. You don’t need to wear the mask if you are alone.

If you can’t put on a mask (because of trouble breathing, for example), cover your coughs and sneezes in some other way. Try to stay at least 6 feet away from other people. This will help protect the people around you.

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw away used tissues in a lined trash can. Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If
soap and water are not available, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. This is especially important after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.
• Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they
feel dry.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces. High-touch surfaces include phones, remote controls, counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables.
• Use household cleaners and disinfectants when cleaning. Clean the area or item with soap and water or another detergent if it is dirty. Then, use a household disinfectant.

12/06/2021

Scenic Mountain Medical Center will have 1st and 2nd doses, boosters and pediatric doses available at a drive-thru clinic on Thursday, December 9 from 3 pm to 6 pm.

The drive-thru clinic will take place at Whatley Plaza (North Driveway Entrance on Martin Luther King Blvd) located at 1601 W. 11th Place in Big Spring, Texas.

For more information on vaccines, visit www.scenicmountainmedical.org/vaccine.

12/01/2021

Scenic Mountain Medical Center will have 1st and 2nd doses, boosters and pediatric doses available at a drive-thru clinic on Thursday, December 2 from 3 pm to 6 pm.

The drive-thru clinic will take place at Whatley Plaza (North Driveway Entrance on Martin Luther King Blvd) located at 1601 W. 11th Place in Big Spring, Texas.

For more information on vaccines, visit www.scenicmountainmedical.org/vaccine.