03/28/2024
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Bladen County Health Department released a statement with some answers to help citizens during the COVID-19 outbreak. In their statement, the department acknowledged, “this is a scary and unknown time for all of us. With times of uncertainty come anxiety, fear, and spread of non-factual information.”

The post from the Bladen County Health Department stated, “As your Local Health Department (LHD), we are trying to be as transparent as possible, putting out the most recent information and guidance on how to keep yourself and your family safe. It is our goal to provide you with the most current guidance and factual information possible. However, you as a community must realize that although we have an obligation to keep you informed, we also have an obligation to keep patient information confidential.”

Below are some questions or concerns citizens have indicated they would like answers to, along with the LHD’s responses.

1. First, the statement has been made on social media, “Bladen County has no cases because they are not testing.”

The health department addressed the statement as follows: “The facilities are performing COVID-19 testing based on the guidelines that are put out by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS). These guidelines are frequently changing, so the guidance today may not be the same as it was yesterday. However, tests are being performed on those persons that meet the current eligibility criteria.

Also, persons reported as symptomatic or persons that have been reported as tested are being monitored by the LHD throughout their isolation period. If a person is positive, the LHD will perform a contact investigation to ensure exposed persons are aware to take precautions and monitor themselves for symptoms.”

2. Another social media post stated, “Our numbers are low because they are not telling us about positive cases.”

The local department responded with, “If Bladen has a positive case, it will be reported in a timely fashion. The State assigns the positive cases based on county of “permanent residence”, not where the test is performed. This can sometimes cause confusion due to a permanent residence may not be where the person “lives”.

3. Some citizens may think it is safe to not practice social distancing because Bladen does not have many cases.

The LHD stated, “Even though Bladen does not have many cases, the virus is in our neighboring counties and people travel in and out of our county all the time. Just because there are not many “Bladen” cases, does not mean that the virus is not present in our county.”

4. Next was a couple of questions the department answered. Are tests reported to the Local Health Departments? Why don’t we know the right numbers?

The LHD responded, “The BCHD has worked with local physicians’ offices and medical centers to ensure tests being performed are reported. However, it is not mandatory for physicians’ offices to report pending tests, just positives. We have many people that live in our county that travel to out-of-county facilities for medical care. If these persons are tested, the BCHD may not be aware.”

5. Another statement seen on social media is, “If we are not testing everyone who has symptoms, then we do not have an accurate representation of our numbers.”

The health department addressed the concern saying, “This statement may be true however; the numbers are not the most important factor here. There are legitimate reasons behind why testing has been limited e.g. limited PPE supplies, the risk of exposing other people, when sick people, come to be tested. People with mild symptoms should stay home and isolate the recommended time period. The treatment for COVID-19 does not change unless you begin to have respiratory difficulty, then you should seek medical attention.”

6. Next was another question to address. “Why has the Local Health Department not closed businesses that have positive cases?”

The department stated, “Local businesses have been encouraged to follow guidance provided by the CDC to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in their facilities. The LHD and government agencies are working with business leaders on employee safety and other measures to keep these vital services open.”

For the most up-to-date statistics for Bladen County please access https://www.ncdhhs.gov/…/pub…/covid19/covid-19-nc-case-count. This site is updated daily at 11am. As noted on the website these numbers may be subject to change. Also, for any COVID-19 questions, you may contact the BCHD COVID-19 Hotline at 910-872-6291 Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.

Before closing the department stated in the post, “We would like you to know that we consider ourselves very fortunate at this time to not have any more cases than we do. We hope the reason is because our citizens are being cautious by staying home, maintaining social distancing when they must go out, and practicing good respiratory and hand hygiene. We need your help to continue to have low numbers. Please continue to take precautions and if you are sick, please stay at home. If you feel you need medical care, call ahead, let your medical provider know your symptoms so they can prepare for your arrival. We are in this together.”

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