Press release from Haywood County Public Health:
Haywood County Public Health received notice late April 30, 2020, that five more Haywood County residents have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, indicating community spread of the virus in Haywood County. The individuals are in isolation at home.
The individuals are residents of Haywood County and have no recent out-of-state travel history. Haywood County Public Health nurses are identifying close contacts of these individuals. To protect individual privacy, no further information will be released. The CDC defines close contact as being within 6 feet of a person with COVID-19 infection for 15 minutes or longer and without protection. Based on the information provided by the individuals in close contact, county health officials will assess risks of exposure, determine which if any additional measures are needed such as temperature and symptom checks, quarantine, and/or testing.
“The Haywood County Health Department will trace, test, and contain anyone we identify who was exposed to this virus,” said Haywood County Health Director Patrick Johnson. “As these new cases are clear indicators of community spread, it’s vital that citizens assume that the virus is circulating in the county and take appropriate precautions.”
Because COVID-19 is most commonly spread through respiratory droplets, North Carolinians should take the same measures that health care providers recommend in order to prevent the spread of the flu and other viruses, including:
- Practice social distancing. This is the Number One Enemy of COVID-19. To prevent community spread we need everyone to take social distancing seriously!
- Wash your hands regularly with soap and running water for 20 seconds.
- Regularly sanitize frequently-touched surfaces.
- Avoid touching your face.
- Cover coughs and sneezes, preferably with your elbow to avoid transferring germs to your hands.
- Stay home if you are sick.
- Wear a mask, especially when you will be in close contact with people.
The first five cases of COVID-19 in Haywood County are categorized as recovered. The other ten remain in isolation.
On April 28, 2020, Haywood County Health and Human Services and Haywood County Emergency Services conducted a targeted surveillance study of asymptomatic front line workers in high-contact occupations throughout the county. In total, 283 asymptomatic individuals were tested for COVID-19. All 283 test results came back negative.
The case study was the first of its kind in the county. The testing was conducted to gather data and establish whether any high contact workers who show no symptoms might have the virus and could potentially spread it to the community while working. The testing was specifically targeted for people working jobs that place them in high contact with the public.
The Haywood County Board of County Commissioners approved the testing. The county contracted with LabCorp for test processing. LabCorp is a private lab that can produce test results in 2-4 days, much quicker than the state lab.
“The surveillance results have helped to establish that, on one hand, asymptomatic community spread in Haywood County is low among these workers,” said Health Director Patrick Johnson. “However, it’s important to continue adhering to social distancing and safe practices like hand washing and wearing masks in public because, on the other hand, we now have evidence of community transmission. Our frontline workers are doing a good job of keeping themselves and their customers safe, but in the past week, we have seen a surge of cases, all of whom were infected through community spread. So it’s critically important that people continue to follow precautions to protect themselves and take precautions seriously.”
It is important to make sure the information you are getting about COVID-19 is coming directly from reliable sources like the CDC and NCDHHS. For more information, please visit the CDC at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus, NCDHHS at www.ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus, and Haywood County at https://www.haywoodcountync.gov/684/Coronavirus-Covid-19-Information.
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