CCHD COVID-19 Update #67 (June 4, 2020)…

LENOIR, NC (June 4, 2020) — Here is the Caldwell County Health Department COVID-19 Update for Thursday, June 4, 2020.

Laboratory-Confirmed Cases		Recovered Patients		Active Patients
181		91		87
Death		Hospitalized (see below)	Percentage of Tested Patients Who Are Positive
3		5	4.64%
Total Tested		Total Negative
3905		3418
Confirmed Cases by Zip Code
28645	28638	28630		28601
115	27	37		2
Percentage of Confirmed Cases by Age
0-24		25-64		65+
19%		73%		8%

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.

*Updated 06-4-2020

Caldwell County learned of a COVID-19 cluster at a local fire department. Sawmills Fire/Rescue has six cases associated with the department.

NC Department of Public Health defines a COVID-19 clusters in workplace, educational, and other community settings as:

• A minimum of five cases with ill onsets or initial positive results within a 14-day period and
• Plausible epidemiologic linkage between cases. Local health departments should verify that cases are present in the same setting during the same time-period (e.g., same shift, same classroom, same physical work area); that the timing fits with likely timing of exposure; and that there is no other likely source of exposure for identified cases (e.g., household or close contact to a confirmed case in another setting).

“Sawmills Fire/Rescue has taken every possible step to protect everyone associated with their department. They continue to work closely with us to ensure every precaution is taken and their volunteers and community are protected,” said Caldwell County Public Health Director Anna Martin.

Eight COVID-19 cases were reported today — two in the 28645, five in 28630, and one in 28638.

For local information about Coronavirus, visit here or call the Caldwell County Health Department Health Information Line at 828-426-8456 or the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at 828-426-8605. Resources are available in Spanish here.

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COVID-19 at Sawmills Volunteer Fire / Rescue

Sawmills Volunteer Fire / Rescue was notified this week of a cluster of Covid-19 cases within the department. It appears that most of the exposures were from outside sources and some of the cases are showing no signs or symptoms. As always, the main focus is on the safety of the members and the safety of the community we serve.  Since March, every member has taken their temperature as they enter the building, there has been no access to the public inside the building, cleaning and disinfecting has been done daily and the entire department is decontaminated every Sunday. The members have been educated on the precautions of this virus and updates have been emailed as they become available. Only members working their regular shift and an EMS crew are allowed in the building to help eliminate any outside contaminates. All meetings and gatherings have been cancelled until the end of June. We will continue to work closely with the Caldwell County Health Department and the CDC for further guidance on this situation. Please continue to wear face masks, wash your hands and social distance. Even in the best situations, the virus can still spread. If you have any questions, please call Sawmills Volunteer Fire/Rescue at 828-396-1567.