CCHD COVID-19 Update #135 (August 24, 2020)

LENOIR, NC (August 24, 2020) — Here is the Caldwell County Health Department COVID-19 Update for Monday, August 24, 2020.

Laboratory-Confirmed Cases		Cases Reported Today		Recovered Patients			Active Patients
1370		15		745			605
Deaths		Hospitalized		Active Outbreaks			Active Clusters
20		18		3			2
Total Tested				Total Negative		% Patients Tested Positive
18,246				16,201		7.51%
CASES BY ZIP CODE
28606	28645	28630	28638	28601	28667	28611		28655
1	783	354	185	26	7	13		1
CASES BY AGE
0-17		18-24		25-49	50-64	65-74		75+
191		142		488	305	154		90
CASES BY RACE
White		African American		Hispanic	Asian	American Indian
70.51%		6.10%		22.73%	0.55%	0.11%

Updated 08-24-2020

Caldwell County Health Department confirmed two COVID-19-related deaths today. One patient was between the ages of 65 and 74 and the other patient was over the age of 75. Both patients had been hospitalized and were reported to have underlying conditions.

Fifteen COVID-19 cases were reported to the Health Department since Friday afternoon — six in the 28645 Zip code, seven in 28630, one in 28638, and one in 28601. Two patients are under the age of 17; three patients are between 18 and 24; five are between 25 and 49; three patients are between 50 and 64; and two are between 65 and 74.

Additionally, three COVID-19 outbreaks have been closed by the Caldwell County Health Department. The department closed outbreaks at Brockford Inn Assisted Living, Gateway Rehabilitation and Healthcare, and Shaire Center. For an outbreak to be closed, all patients who test negative must be tested weekly until two consecutive weeks have passed without a new positive test and 28 days have passed since the last confirmed positive case.

NC Department of Health and Human Services has released a screening outline to determine when a student is cleared to return to school after being exposed to or testing positive for COVID-19. Schools are using the following guidelines: 

• If a child is exposed (within six feet of someone diagnosed with COVID-19 for 15 minutes or more), the student cannot go to school for 14 days since exposure.
• If a child tests positive but has no symptoms, the student cannot go to school for 10 days since the first positive COVID-19 test.
• If a child is experiencing at least one of the following symptoms fever, chills, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, new cough, or new loss of taste or smell, the child cannot go to school until:

o   10 days since symptoms first appeared, fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine, and symptom improvement if the student has tested positive or the person is symptomatic and has not been tested.

o   No fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicine and the student has felt well for 24 hours if they if the student tested negative for COVID-19.

For information about Coronavirus, visit here or call the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at 828-426-8605. For statistical information, visit here.

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Hospitalized – The number of hospitalized patients is not cumulative. It is the number of patients from Caldwell County currently hospitalized, regardless of what county they are hospitalized in.

“Also, if you follow the state numbers, you will notice we are reporting fewer cases than the state shows for our county. We report cases once the health care provider who conducted the test shares pertinent patient information and confirms test results. Until we receive that information, we do not add cases to our log.

Remember, we only report cases for patients who live in Caldwell County. Cases are counted by patient, not the number of times the patient tests positive.” Caldwell County Health Department

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