COVID & Other Illnesses Taking Over in Norman County

Ada, MN — The omicron variant of COVID-19 has now become widespread in our area communities, causing some school districts to scramble to find staff or even institute flex or e-learning days. Tracy Johnson of Norman-Mahnomen Public Health is the school nurse for the Ada-Borup-West and Norman County East School Districts. She says testing is life right now for local schools and whether they have COVID, the common cold, or influenza, if you do test positive you should stay home until you feel better.

Johnson adds that are seeing a lot of people to doing their own COVID testing at home, but she reminds them that they need to report it the school if they test positive.

And for those who do test positive for COVID, Johnson offers some tips for getting healthy quicker and getting back to work or school.

Johnson believes that our area is currently at or around the peak of the spread omicron variant, and that cases should begin to drop in the next week or two.

Vaccinated individuals may return to work or school in as little as five days after a positive test but are required to wear a mask for the next 5 days as well. However, you should not return unless you are feeling healthy.

Listen to the full interview with Tracy Johnson of Norman-Mahnomen Public Health from the KRJB Kaleidoscope Program below: