Orange County Health Department Offers Guidance on Safer Holiday Breaks

Any scenario in which people gather together poses a risk for COVID-19 transmission. The Orange County Health Department offers information on how to gather more safely during the holidays, including guidance for students leaving college campuses and others traveling.

“We encourage hosts and guests of private gatherings to follow this guidance so we can all help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” said Orange County Health Director Quintana Stewart.

A COVID-19 Clusters in North Carolina report shows trends of increasing clusters from social and community gatherings. A cluster is defined as a minimum of five cases with a common epidemiological link.

“Staying connected with friends and family during the holidays is incredibly important for all of our well-being,” Stewart said. “But this year it will be safer to stay connected via telephone or video chat. We want people to keep in mind that the best gift you can give is the gift of health this holiday season.”

Main Ways to Decrease Risk
The best ways to reduce your risk of viral transmission is to:

Limit travel during the holidays.
Limit physical contact with people who do not live in your household.

Whenever gathering with anyone outside your household, you should remember the 3Ws:

Wear a face covering.
Wait 6 feet apart or maintain 6 feet of social distancing.
Wash hands well.

The 3Ws are even more important if you are getting together with someone at high risk of complications with COVID-19.

Click here for more information.

Indoor Gatherings Limit Reduced to 10; Precautions Need to Be Taken Now for Thanksgiving

North Carolina’s indoor mass gathering limit will be lowered to 10 people again, effective at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13. The state executive order, No. 176, will be in place through 5 p.m. Dec. 4.

Click here for more information.

Joey Duffy of ACORN was named the 2020 Direct Care Worker of the Year by the Orange County Department on Aging.

Orange County announces recipients of 2020 Direct Care Worker Outstanding Service Awards

Orange County Department on Aging and the Senior Health Advocacy and Resource Partners of Orange County (SHARP) honored 31 individuals for their outstanding service in long-term care on Oct 22 during a virtual Direct Care Worker Award ceremony.

This event recognizes direct care workers (nurse aides, personal care aides, companion caregivers, etc.) who served clients in Orange County within the past year, making a difference in their clients’ lives on a daily basis and in the community.

Penny Rich, chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, recognized all 31 nominees including six individuals who received the following 2020 SHARP Direct Care Worker awards:

Longevity: Vivian Dixon – Brookdale Meadowmont
Rising Star: Kim Mayorquin – Carol Woods Retirement Community
Client Impact: Ashley Horton – Homewatch Caregivers of the Triangle
Going the Extra Mile: Deborah Carmichael – Elmcroft of Hillsborough
Leadership: Marla Johnson – Charles House Association
Direct Care Worker of the Year: Joey Duffy – ACORN

Anansi and the Moss Covered rock graphic

Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock" Puppet Show

Puppet Show Inc. presents a re-telling of Eric Kimmel’s “Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock”, a folktale from Africa. A craft will be available on our Virtual Branch, https://www.orangecountync.gov/2377/Virtual-Branch. Register here.

Health Department offers free COVID tests daily on weekdays

The Orange County Health Department (OCHD) has begun offering daily weekday COVID-19 testing in Hillsborough.

The testing is offered 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday in the parking lot in front of the Whitted Human Services Center, 300 W. Tryon St., Hillsborough. Pre-registration is encouraged and may be done online. Be sure to select Orange County when registering.

Regular testing events offered in the county are:

Daily - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Whitted Human Services Center in Hillsborough.
Every Wednesday - Alternating each Wednesday between two sites in Chapel Hill: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the R-7 Parking Lot, 725 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. or 3 to 7 p.m. at the Nash Parking Lot on Wilson Street. See the county’s COVID-19 Testing page for each week’s location.
Third Saturday of each month - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lattisville Grove Missionary Baptist Church, 1701 Jimmy Ed Road in Hurdle Mills.
Fourth Saturday of each month - noon to 4 p.m. at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 940 Carmichael St. in Chapel Hill.
First Sunday of each month- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at McDougal Middle School, 900 Old Fayetteville Rd. in Chapel Hill.

Testing is drive through or walk up. Anyone can receive a test regardless of whether they are showing symptoms or are a close contact of someone positive for the virus.

Registration is offered on site, and the nasal swab tests are billed to insurance or provided free to those without insurance.

For up-to-date testing information, see the county’s COVID-19 Testing page.

Arts Commission offering fourth round of relief grants

The Orange County Arts Commission is offering small relief grants to help artists who are struggling because of the COVID pandemic.

The primary purpose of the Orange County Arts Support Fund is to provide money for life’s essentials and continued creative development for individuals whose livelihoods have been drastically impacted by COVID-19. With limited funds to grant, we ask that applicants carefully consider their financial circumstances before applying to determine if these funds are absolutely essential. If you have other sources of income and are making ends meet, then we ask that you please allow this fund to help those who are not so fortunate.

This grant may be used for essential expenses such as groceries, rent/mortgage, bill payments, and healthcare, as well as the purchase of essential supplies or services that are critical to your creative work.

This grant is not intended to be used for travel or the purchase of items not related to your creative work or life-sustaining essential expenses.

The ArtsCenter in Carrboro is serving as our fiscal agent for this initiative, meaning all payments will be issued by them via personal check. However, please note this is not a fundraising effort by or for The ArtsCenter.

Click here for more information.

Orange County COVID-19 Updated Data Nov. 13, 2020

The Orange County Health Department has provided the following information about COVID-19 cases in Orange County as of 9:00 a.m. today:

TOTAL CASES: 3,409
TOTAL DEATHS: 60

Data Considerations:
1. Any demographic groups with very small numbers have been suppressed to protect
patient confidentiality.
2. We are missing race and ethnicity data for between 30-40% of confirmed cases.
3. We don’t know who may have COVID-19 that wasn’t able to get tested, and we don’t know what groups the patients with missing data fall under.
This data should not be used to make generalizations about who may or may not have higher rates of infection.

Click here to download the entire release.

Orange County Libraries Family Trivia Night graphic

Click the link for more information and to register.

Orange County DSS to host food drive at Carrboro High

Orange County Department of Social Services will host a food drive at Carrboro High School (201 Rock Haven Road, Carrboro) on Thursday, Nov. 19. The event begins at 9:30 a.m. and is open to the community on a first-come, first-served basis. Limit of two households per vehicle.

Take advantage of the Medicare Annual Election Period from Oct. 15-Dec. 7, and you may save money

The Orange County Department on Aging and the N.C. Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) invite Medicare beneficiaries to review their 2021 Medicare Drug Plans and Medicare Advantage Plans.
Medicare plans change each calendar year. Your medication costs can increase significantly if your plan changes their drug list and pricing as of Jan 1. Many people save hundreds and even thousands of dollars by switching plans, but most can only change during Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7. The Orange County Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) provides free and unbiased assistance.

Meet with a certified counselor for an Annual Medicare Review. You can choose an in-person appointment at the Seymour Center in Chapel Hill or the Passmore Center in Hillsborough. Or choose to schedule a Zoom video chat.
To schedule an appointment, visit our website at www.orangecountync.gov/ocncSHIIP or call 919-245-4274.

www.orangecountync.gov