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By Cara Beth Lewis

As far as COVID-19 goes, November has been a good month for Bladen County so far. At this time, there are no Bladen County residents in the hospital due to the virus, according to Bladen County Health Director, Dr. Teresa (Terri) Duncan. She stated, “We can see a dramatic decrease in hospitalization.”

In September, there were nineteen deaths due to COVID-19, and in October there were only three. It is wonderful to see improvement, and possibly a light at the end of the tunnel. Dr. Duncan said, “It was a tough quarter for Bladen County (July-September), but we are in a much better place than we were six weeks ago.”

The general goal is to have less than five percent of those who test for the virus to be positive, and Bladen County is at approximately 3.8% currently, which makes us less “high risk,” meaning we are leaning more toward the orange category, rather than red.

Orange: Substantial Risk
Red: High Risk

Recently, Bladen County Health Department announced that Pfizer vaccines are now available for those ages five to eleven, and both Pfizer and Moderna are available for those ages twelve and older. Dr. Duncan is encouraging parents to take advantage of the Wellness Day offered by Bladen County Schools, and bring their children to the Health Department to be vaccinated for both COVID-19 and influenza. The flu is still prevalent, and Type A and B have already been reported in our county.

The Center of Disease Control says, “CDC recommends that all children ages 5 and up get vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccination is over 90% effective at helping prevent COVID-19 in kids and is an important tool to help stop this pandemic.”

According to Dr. Duncan at least 40% of the population in Bladen County has been fully vaccinated, and 50% have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Even though we see improvement, Dr. Duncan still recommends vaccination, as well as mask-wearing and social-distancing when necessary.

Bladen County Health Department still offers drive-through COVID-19 testing, as well as vaccination. To make an appointment to receive the vaccine, call the Bladen County COVID-19 Hotline at (910)872-6291.

Dr. Teresa (Terri) Duncan says, “Thank you to all of the folks that have been helping each other — that is what we do in Bladen County. We are certainly heading in the right direction.”