Contributed
Bladen County Health Department monitored a second positive case of COVID-19 reported for Bladen County, according Dr. Teresa Duncan (Terri), Director with the Bladen Health and Human Services. The individual is a resident of a Skilled Nursing/Rehabilitation Facility, in a known COVID-19 hotspot in North Carolina. This case was included in the North Carolina Department Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) Dashboard on Sunday. Dr. Duncan press release on Sunday stared, “Data for this site is preliminary and may change based on further investigation.”
”The individual is residing in a facility located outside of Bladen Country, ” Dr. Duncan confirmed on Sunday.
On Monday morning Dr. Duncan released an update. The most recent DPHHS Dashboard, published today, reflects one positive case for Bladen County. The positive case yesterday was reassigned to the individual’s county of current residence.
Although a person may test positive outside their county of residence for the COVID-19 (coronavirus), the positive case is counted in the county of their citizenship.
On Monday morning at 11 a.m. NCDHHS has a total COVID-19 case count at 4,816 for NC with a total of 86 deaths. Bladen County’s case count now remains at one with zero deaths.
Dr. Duncan’s press release stated on Sunday states, ”To all residents of Bladen County, we appreciate the sacrifices you made during this season, finding new ways to have meaningful faith services and family gatherings. To date, the County has been blessed: the first individual identified recovered, no deaths, and few positive cases.”
Because COVID-19 is most commonly spread through respiratory droplets, North Carolinians should take the same measures that health care providers recommend to prevent the spread of the flu and other viruses:
• Social distancing (e.g. avoiding crowds, self-quarantining, etc.)
• Washing hands frequently with soap and water, and for at least 20 seconds each time
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoid close contact with people who are ill
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, throw it away, and then wash your hands
• Do not reuse tissue after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose
• Clean and disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched
Symptoms for COVID-19 are fever, cough, and other lower respiratory illness (shortness of breath). If you believe that you may have COVID-19, please stay home with mild symptoms. If symptoms worsen call your health care provider, or the Health Department call center. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am – 5:00pm, until further notice. Individuals may also call 2-1-1. This NCDHHS call center is available 24/7, in English and Spanish.
Reliable sources for COVID-19 include Bladen County Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, and NCDHHS. For more information, please visit the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus and NCDHHS’ website at www.ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus, which will also include future positive COVID-19 test results in North Carolina.
About Author
