Oswego County health officials are starting to see a rise in coronavirus cases. But, they’re warning residents that the number of positive tests shouldn’t be their main concern.

“Number and the location of the infection does not matter anymore,” said Jiancheng Huang, Oswego County public health director. “The importance is the virus is in your backyard. Wash your hands. Keep social distancing.”

It’s a message health officials are trying to get across to neighbors to flatten the coronavirus curve.

“Social distancing is the best tool we have,” said Diane Oldenburg, Oswego County Health Department senior public health educator. “There’s no vaccine. No medication.”

But a new data tool shows Oswego County residents need to practice it more often. The data company Unacast created a Social Distancing Scoreboard. Using public datasets and mobile phones, they compare the distance people traveled before the coronavirus to the present day. They grade states and counties nationwide A through F.

Areas that have a 40 percent decrease in the average distance traveled receive an A. Then they compare the grade to the number of new cases reported in that region to find the trend.

The company gave Oswego County a D, along with Tioga, Jefferson and Cayuga Counties.

“I’m not so surprised,” said Huang. “As I said, this reflects two things. Our community is a well-connected community. People are used to getting closer and changing humans’ behavior is a difficult process.”

Officials say they’ve witnessed some positive changes and want to see more.

“In the front of this pizzeria, people started to practice social distancing,” said Huang, “This is the hope of our community.”

“There are a lot of ways we can encourage people to stay in touch and get that support they need without people close to six feet together,” said Oldenburg.