CANTON — The New York State Department of Health is ending the COVID-19 virtual contact tracing and case investigation (VCC) program on Thursday, April 28.

Contact tracing calls to those who were exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 ended in January. The statewide effect to contact individuals has been in place since May 2020.

St. Lawrence County residents who test positive for COVID-19 with a lab-confirmed test will still be notified of their result by the place where you were tested. These results will continue to be reported to the St. Lawrence County Public Health (SLCPH) Department by the lab.

Those who test positive on an at-home test should continue to report their result to the SLCPH Department using the online form that can be found on our website: https://stlawco.org/Departments/PublicHealth. Individuals with a lab-confirmed test or who have self-reported to SLCPH Department will continue to receive a text message from the New York State Department of Health.

People may not get calls from SLCPH if you tested positive or were exposed to COVID-19. SLCPH will be focusing its case investigation efforts on the most vulnerable populations: older adults, school-aged children, daycares, nursing homes, healthcare settings, and other congregate settings.

Those who test positive for the virus or who were in close contact with someone are still expected to follow New York State’s isolation and quarantine guidelines, which can be found at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/isolation-quarantine.

Individuals who have tested positive will need to self-isolate and anyone who has been exposed should self- quarantine if they meet current guidelines. Those in need of a NYSDOH Affirmation of Isolation and/or Affirmation of Quarantine, visit https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/isolation-quarantine to fill them out.

More info: St. Lawrence County Public Health Department at 315-386-2325.