Bladen County Health Department released the latest COVID-19 update for the county and the state yesterday afternoon. A new drive-thru testing event was also announced.
Bladen cases have been linked to social gatherings, work, travel, and community-acquired (unknown source). Bladen County residents are vulnerable to getting or spreading the virus. In addition to fever, cough, and shortness of breath, the CDC added symptoms for the coronavirus: chills, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, and a new, loss of taste. There is no vaccine for the virus.
View the COVID-19 update in the photo graph above.
Increased testing, including for those without symptoms, expanded contact tracing, and adherence to control measures like self-isolation and quarantine, are important to control viral transmission across the state.
Guidelines for testing include:
Anyone with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19.
Close contacts of known positive cases, regardless of symptoms.
Populations with a higher risk of exposure or a higher risk of severe disease if they believe they may have been exposed to COVID-19, whether or not they have symptoms.
People who live in or have regular contact with high-risk settings (e.g., long-term care facility, homeless shelter, correctional facility, migrant farmworker camp)
Historically marginalized populations
Frontline and essential workers (grocery store clerks, gas station attendants, child care workers, construction sites, processing plants, etc.) in settings where social distancing is challenging to maintain
People at high risk of severe illness (e.g. people over 65 years of age, people of any age with underlying health conditions
People who have attended protests, rallies, or other mass gatherings could have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or could have exposed others. Testing should be considered for people who attended such events, particularly if they were in crowds or other situations where they couldn’t practice effective social distancing.
The following are sites and facilities offering COVID-19 testing.
Cape Fear Valley Express Care located at 107 E. Dunham Street offers COVID-19 testing without an appointment. They are open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday they are open 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Their number is 910-862-2122.
Cape Fear Valley-Bladen Clinics 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 9 10-862-1265
Lumberton Clinic in Robeson County, located at 1309 E. 5th Street also offers COVID-19 testing. They are open 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesday through Thursday 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Friday they are open 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. They are closed Saturday and Sunday.
Bryant Swamp Missionary Baptist Church along with CommWell Health will hold a Drive Thru Testing site on Tuesday, July 21, 2020 from 8 a.m. until 12 noon. The church is located at 61 Bryant Swamp Road in Bladenboro.
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