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The Bladen County Health Department announced the COVID-19 (coronavirus) confirmed cases now totals 78 with 53 recovered cases and two deaths related to the coronavirus. Dr. Teresa Duncan, the local Health and Human Services Director, released the report with new recommendations for testing.

According to Dr. Duncan the North Carolina Department Health & Human Services updated guidance on who should be tested for COVID-19.

The new guidance recommends that clinicians test any patient in whom COVID-19 is suspected and ensure the following populations have access to testing, regardless of symptoms:

 Anyone with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19

 Close contacts of known positive cases, regardless of symptoms

 Persons who live in or have regular contact with high-risk settings (e.g., long-term care facility, homeless shelter, correctional facility, migrant farmworker camp)

 Persons who are at high risk of severe illness (e.g., people over 65 years of age, people of any age with underlying health conditions)

 Persons who come from historically marginalized populations

 Health care workers or first responders (e.g. EMS, law enforcement, fire department, military)

 Front-line and essential workers (grocery store clerks, gas station attendants, etc.) in settings where social distancing is difficult to maintain

Bladen County COVID-19 Testing sites:

 Cape Fear Valley-Bladen Clinics and Express Care offer testing (Bladenboro, Clarkton, Dublin, Elizabethtown and White Lake) for anyone exhibiting symptoms or those in high risk groups without symptoms, after a visit with the provider on duty. Contact the clinic located in your area for further information:

• Bladenboro 910-863-3138

• Clarkton 910-862-1217

• Dublin 910-862-3528

• Elizabethtown 910-862-5500

• White Lake 910-862-1265

• Express Care 910-862-2122

 A drive-thru testing site is operating in the Walmart parking lot located at 1347 W. Broad St., Elizabethtown, NC on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 7:00 am- 9:00 am. The site is supported by Walmart, eTrueNorth, state and local officials to test anyone who meets CDC, state and local guidelines on who should be tested, including first responders, health care providers and others with symptoms of COVID-19, and those in high risk groups without symptoms. Those interested in being tested need to visit www.DoINeedaCOVID19test.com to see if eligible for testing and to make an appointment.

 CommWell Health (1-910-567-7114 or 1-877-WELL-ALL (935-5255) continues to test in Tar Heel, Monday-Friday, times vary.

 Robeson Health Care Corporation is testing at the St. Pauls site (910-241-30420), times vary.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHSS) dashboard includes data for number of counties with positive cases, zip codes, congregate living facilities, age, race, gender, hospitalizations, etc. and is updated daily. On May 19, 2020 the NCDHHS Dashboard (ncdhhs.gov) listed data for North Carolina:

 19,700 positive cases

 585 hospitalizations

 691 deaths