COVID-19 Updates: November 18, 2020 |
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For the week of the Thanksgiving Holiday, we will not be sending out our e-newsletter. We will resume during the week of Nov. 30th. |
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Orange County Press Release |
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MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kristin Prelipp, Communications Manager and Public Information Officer
kprelipp@orangecountync.gov or 919-245-2462
LINK TO MEDIA RELEASE: https://www.orangecountync.gov/DocumentCenter/View/13745/Indoor_Gatherings_Change_Guidance_for_Thanksgiving_nov_12_2020
Indoor Gatherings Limit Reduced to 10; Precautions Need to Be Taken Now for Thanksgiving
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. Nov. 12, 2020
North Carolina’s indoor mass gathering limit has been lowered to 10 people again, effective at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13. Anyone who had planned to gather with non-household members for Thanksgiving should have started a 14-day quarantine on Nov. 12, to lower the risk of transmitting COVID-19 at the gathering.
The state executive order, No. 176, will be in place through 5 p.m. Dec. 4. Orange County has amended its emergency declaration to follow current and future state executive orders related to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The county declaration is in effect through Dec. 31.
The reduction in the indoor gathering limit is intended to slow the spread of COVID-19. North Carolina’s trajectory of confirmed cases is increasing, the percent of positive tests is above 5%, and the number of hospitalizations across the state is high. Increases in cases have been connected to social gatherings. The outdoor gathering limit remains at 50 people.
Quarantine before gathering
The best way to reduce viral transmission during the holidays is to limit travel and physical contact with people who do not live in your household.
If planning to gather with other households for Thanksgiving regardless, all parties should quarantine for 14 days prior to the event to avoid contracting the virus and then transmitting it at the event. To quarantine, stay home and avoid contact with anyone outside your household. The day before the event, screen for symptoms and stay home from the event or cancel the event if not feeling well.
Additional measures for gathering
Outdoor activities are preferred over indoor because it is easier to stay apart and there is more wind and air to help reduce the spread of the virus.
When gathering with anyone outside your household, use the 3Ws, which are especially important if getting together with anyone at high risk of complications from COVID-19: - Wear a face covering.
- Wait 6 feet apart or maintain 6 feet of social distancing.
- Wash hands well.
“Remember, it’s not how well you know someone when it comes to wearing a mask,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. “If they don’t live with you, get behind the mask.” See guidance from the state for fall events and private social gatherings. Related documents |
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Red, orange and yellow: NC launches new county alerts to help curb COVID-19 surges |
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NOVEMBER 17, 2020 03:23 PM, UPDATED NOVEMBER 17, 2020 07:01 PM |
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As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rise across the country, N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper announced a new alert system Tuesday to gauge COVID-19 spread at the county level throughout the state — and to help government officials and residents understand what actions may be needed to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The alert system will be tiered into three levels: yellow means significant community spread; orange means substantial community spread; and red means critical community spread.
The state has included recommendations for enforcement for each county, but especially for orange and red counties. Cooper said it would be up to mayors, city councils and county commissioners in the color-coded counties — as well as business, faith and community leaders — to take action.
“This county alert system shows our viral hotspots,” Cooper said Tuesday at a press conference. “But let me be clear, the whole state is experiencing widespread transmission. Cases across the country are surging, forcing states to go backward. Right now our metrics are increasing, not surging. But a surge can happen quickly.”
Three factors will determine where a county ranks: rate of new cases, percentage of tests returned positive and impact on hospitals within the county.
Ten counties are currently classified as red, and 43 are classified as orange. The rest of the counties are yellow.
Johnston County is the only one in the Triangle area to be in the orange zone. All other Triangle counties are yellow.
The system follows standards created by the White House Coronavirus Task Force, and the state will update the map on a monthly basis.
There have been 317,495 cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina, as of Tuesday. Hospitalizations reached a new high on Tuesday at 1,501 along with a new record high of seven-day average of new cases. The county codes do not translate into mandates at this time. Cooper said there is “a lot of weariness” about COVID-19, and these recommendations are a “renewed effort” to focus on enforcement, what is already in the law on occupancy limits, on mask wearing and gatherings — all to try to curb the numbers. He also hopes it encourages more “community buy-in.”
“Right now, these are strong recommendations,” Cooper said. “However, if our metrics keep moving in the wrong direction, the state could impose additional orders, either at a local or statewide level. As numbers worsen, we need to treat this virus like the deadly threat it still is.”A CALL TO ACTIONThe new county alert system comes just a week before Thanksgiving and as a warning to those who are considering traveling or being around those outside their immediate household. To be classified as an orange county, there must be between 100 and 200 new cases per 100,000 people in the last 14 days. The percentage of tests returned positive must be between 8% and 10%, and there must be a moderate impact on the county’s hospitals. To be classified as a red county, there must be over 200 new cases per 100,000 people in last 14 days. The percentage of tests returned positive must be over 10% and there must be a high impact on the county’s hospitals. The impact on the county’s hospitals are gauged by the percentage of hospitalizations related to COVID-19, emergency department visits due to the virus, the amount of critical staffing shortages over the previous 14 days, and the number of staffed open hospital beds. Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said no matter the county, there still needs to be a focus on masks and keeping indoor gatherings at fewer than 10 people. “Every local community is going to have different drivers,” Cohen said. “We want to work with folks to tailor interventions that make sense.” Last week, Cooper extended Phase 3 of reopening and reduced the limit on indoor gatherings from 25 people to 10. Outdoor gathering limits remain at 50 people. Phase 3 is set to expire Dec. 4.
“The science shows that the transmission of this virus is much greater indoors,” Cooper told reporters last week. “And the more people who are gathered, the easier this virus can spread. We saw increasing spread from social gatherings in October.”
VIRAL SPREAD
Other states that loosened restrictions faster have imposed new rules recently as cases spike across the country.
As states in the Midwest have become COVID-19 hot spots, Cohen said last week they are clearly struggling and running out of hospital capacity.
In North Carolina, health officials are seeing increasing viral spread in rural areas. Cohen said last week those rural communities largely were spared earlier in the year, but are being hit now, especially as people let their guard down.
She said she was particularly concerned about hospital capacity in the Triad’s healthcare region.
In that healthcare region, 413 are currently hospitalized due to the coronavirus with 61 being admitted within the last day, according to DHHS data.
Cohen said she does not have any urgent concerns about statewide hospital capacity, but that they are starting to feel the strain.
THANKSGIVING GATHERINGS
Cooper and Cohen urged North Carolinians to celebrate with friends and families safely by adhering to mask-wearing recommendations, limiting gatherings to 10 or fewer people and holding those gatherings outside. People are also encouraged to get COVID-19 tests before visiting family.
“Be smart about your Thanksgiving plans and get creative to celebrate safely,” Cooper said.
He said that following guidelines is more important than ever.
“Now is not the time to give up and let more people die,” Cooper said.
With Phase 3 set to expire on Dec. 4, the governor said he’s likely to make some announcement about it the first part of that week.
NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES: WHAT’S RED, ORANGE AND YELLOW?
Here is how North Carolina’s 100 counties are categorized as of Nov. 17, 2020.
Red (10): Alexander, Avery, Columbus, Davie, Gaston, Hoke, Mitchell, Sampson, Wilkes and Wilson
Orange (43): Ashe, Bertie, Bladen, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Caswell, Catawba, Cherokee, Cleveland, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Greene, Halifax, Hertford, Iredell, Jackson, Johnston, Lee, Madison, Montgomery, Moore, Northampton, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Randolph, Richmond, Robeson, Rockingham, Rowan, Rutherford, Scotland, Stokes, Surrey, Swain, Vance, Warren and Yadkin
Yellow (47): Alamance, Alleghany, Anson, Beaufort, Brunswick, Buncombe, Burke, Camden, Carteret, Chatham, Chowan, Clay, Davidson, Durham, Franklin, Gates, Graham, Granville, Guilford, Harnett, Haywood, Henderson, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Lincoln, Macon, Martin, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Nash, New Hanover, Onslow, Orange, Pender, Person, Pitt, Polk, Stanly, Transylvania, Tyrrell, Union, Wake, Washington, Watauga, Wayne and Yancey
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Monday through Friday from 9 to 5 in Hillsborough
Where: Whitted Human Services Building
300 W. Tryon St.
Hillsborough, NC 27278
When: Every weekday. Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
COVID-19 testing hosted by the Orange County Health Department has no out of pocket cost (insurance will be charged).
Pre-registration is encouraged and can be completed here: https://unityphm.com/campaigns/starmed. Be sure to choose Orange County as your preferred testing location.
Weekday Testing Flyers: There will be a a few exceptions to weekday testing.
In November, there will be no testing on November 26th (Thanksgiving).
Wednesday November 18th from 3:00pm – 7:00pm at Nash Parking Lot in Chapel Hill
Wilson Street, Chapel Hill
Pre-registration is encouraged and may be completed at https://unityphm.com/campaigns/starmed.
Please choose Orange County as preferred testing location.
Weekday Testing Flyers: |
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Moderna: Covid vaccine shows nearly 95% protection |
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By James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent |
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A new vaccine that protects against Covid-19 is nearly 95% effective, early data from US company Moderna shows.
The results come hot on the heels of similar results from Pfizer, and add to growing confidence that vaccines can help end the pandemic.
Both companies used a highly innovative and experimental approach to designing their vaccines.
Moderna says it is a "great day" and they plan to apply for approval to use the vaccine in the next few weeks.
However, this is still early data and key questions remain unanswered. How good is it? The trial involved 30,000 people in the US with half being given two doses of the vaccine, four weeks apart. The rest had dummy injections.
The analysis was based on the first 95 to develop Covid-19 symptoms.
Only five of the Covid cases were in people given the vaccine, 90 were in those given the dummy treatment. The company says the vaccine is protecting 94.5% of people.
The data also shows there were 11 cases of severe Covid in the trial, but none happened in people who were immunised.
"The overall effectiveness has been remarkable... it's a great day," Tal Zaks, the chief medical officer at Moderna, told BBC News.
Dr Stephen Hoge, the company's president, said he "grinned ear to ear for a minute" when the results came in.
He told BBC News: "I don't think any of us really hoped that the vaccine would be 94% effective at preventing Covid-19 disease, that was really a stunning realisation." When will I get it? That depends on where you are in the world and how old you are.
Moderna says it will apply to regulators in the US in the coming weeks. It expects to have 20 million doses available in the country.
The company hopes to have up to one billion doses available for use around the world next year and is planning to seek approval in other countries too.
The UK has today announced that, from spring, it will have five million doses of the Moderna vaccine, enough to vaccinate 2.5 million people. It has already outlined plans that prioritise the oldest people for immunisation. What don't we know?
We still do not know how long immunity will last as volunteers will have to be followed for much longer before that can be answered.
There are hints it offers some protection in older age groups, who are most at risk of dying from Covid, but there is not full data.
Mr Zaks told the BBC their data so far suggests the vaccine "does not appear to lose its potency" with age.
And it is not known whether the vaccine just stops people becoming severely ill, or if it stops them spreading the virus too.
All these questions will affect how a coronavirus vaccine is used. Are there any side effects?
No significant safety concerns have been reported, but nothing, including paracetamol, is 100% safe.
Short lived fatigue, headache and pain were reported after the injection in some patients.
"These effects are what we would expect with a vaccine that is working and inducing a good immune response," said Prof Peter Openshaw, from Imperial College London.
How does this compare to the Pfizer vaccine?
Both vaccines use the same approach of injecting part of the virus's genetic code in order to provoke an immune response.
However, both trials are still taking place and the final numbers could change.
Moderna's vaccine appears to be easier to store as it remains stable at minus 20C for up to six months and can be kept in a standard fridge for up to a month.
Pfizer's vaccine needs ultra-cold storage at around minus 75C, but it can be kept in the fridge for five days.
The Sputnik V vaccine, developed in Russia, has also released very early data which suggests it is 92% effective. When will Covid be over? In the space of a week, the positive results from Pfizer, Moderna and Russia have transformed our chances of ending the pandemic.
Before the first results, the talk was of a vaccine that offered maybe 50% protection. Those expectations have been blown out of the water - not only are vaccines possible, they appear to be potent.
The data so far also raise hopes that the other vaccines in development will be successful too, but now as one challenge draws to an ends, another begins.
The logistical effort of actually vaccinating, potentially billions of people, around the world is gargantuan.
Some experts have claimed normality by spring, others by next winter, others still think there is a long journey ahead. The answer will depend on how quickly countries can get this "hope in a vial" into the arms of people. What reaction has there been? "This news from Moderna is tremendously exciting and considerably boosts optimism that we will have a choice of good vaccines in the next few months," said Prof Peter Openshaw from Imperial College London.
He added: "We need more complete details than we have in this press release, but this announcement adds to the general feeling of optimism."
Prof Trudie Lang, from the University of Oxford, said: "It is very good news indeed to see another vaccine coming through with similar efficacy results as were reported last week from Pfizer.
"This is also an interim analysis, which means that there were enough cases within the vaccinated volunteers to give statistical significance and allow the team to break the blind to determine who had the active vaccine and who had placebo."
Dr Richard Hatchett, the head of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, said: "The Moderna results are as good as we could have hoped for and really terrifically encouraging."
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Answer the Call |
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The video linked above explains why it is important to answer calls from the health department about exposure to COVID-19 and what to expect during the call.
For more information, please visit the following webpage. |
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Data Shows COVID-19 Deepens Health Disparities in Communities of Color |
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By Michael Fuller • Published November 12, 2020 • Updated on November 12, 2020 at 11:37 pm. |
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Disparities in health inequity have become clearer in the era of COVID-19 and NBC Connecticut is taking a closer look at the findings of a new study done by Health Equity Solutions that shows some majors concerns from communities of color.
"I think it’s important to understand that we didn’t all start this pandemic in the same place," said Dr. Tekisha Everette, executive director of Health Equity Solutions.
Everette and her team surveyed over 130 people across the state of Connecticut over a six-month period. The focus was on communities of color and the health inequity disparities magnified by COVID-19.
"While we are all experiencing this pandemic globally and together within the state, we are not all experiencing it the same way," said Everette.
According to the data, participants stated their biggest concerns were basic needs, mental health, outreach and engagement along with testing.
"Generally speaking, what we found is people were highly concerned about whether they were going to have food. Food security was a number one issue followed next to housing. Over 60% of the people who responded showed that they had concerns related to mental and over 50% have concerns related deeply to basic needs," said Everette.
Everette goes on to say that comparing the data from before and now, "we’ve only deepened the gaps, we’ve only deepened the differences. We need to declare and understand what the root cause is. Our analysis is saying we are having historical and contemporary issues related to structural racism."
Several community organizations have come alongside the Health Equity Solutions team to raise awareness of the disparities in the state. Rev. Robyn Anderson is the director of Ministerial Health Fellowship, an advocacy coalition that addresses health disparities among black and brown people.
Anderson explains passionately that the only way forward is, "to really address health disparities, there have to be policy changes that take place. We had a meeting with Senator Abrahams and Senator Lesser around these same issues around COVID-19, some of the changes that need to happen and how we can adhere to and strive towards health equity in our community and in the state of Connecticut."
Community members echoed those sentiments, saying this is a crisis and if something doesn’t change, people may not survive.
"People aren’t able to afford the rent, people have lost their jobs," said Hartford resident Valerie Mikell. "Those two situations right there, that’s a major crisis. You can’t go to work, you have no benefits, your medical is cut. So how do you take care of your family?"
"How they gonna eat?" questioned Hartford resident Demetrius Drew. "How are they going to afford PPE, gloves, masks? They can’t afford that, they can barely take care of their children how can they do all of that too?"
Everette tells NBC Connecticut that the findings of this study will be sent to state policy makers. |
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Thanksgiving is just three weeks away! Make it a goal to maintain your weight this holiday season by participating in the, “Maintain, don’t gain!” Holiday Challenge. All Orange County employees who turn in a completed log sheet (attached) will be entered into a drawing for great prizes!
How do I enter? It is easy! Just register at this link: https://esmmweighless.com/sign/
Send Emily Hernandez a screenshot of your registration confirmation. It looks like this: |
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North Carolina COVID-19 Cases
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reports 320,862 COVID-19 cases, 4,898 deaths, and 1537 hospitalizations, as of November 18, 2020. For more information regarding live updates (NCDHHS updates the site every day at noon), please visit the NCDHHS website.
Orange County Health Department also has a COVID-19 dashboard webpage, with information on COVID-19 data in the county. The dashboard will be updated every Tuesday and Thursday.
There are currently 3,572 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Orange County, and 61 deaths.
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COVID-19 Community Resources
For more information on COVID-19 community resources in the county, please visit our webpage. Resources on specific topic areas, such as food access, education, housing, and others, are all accessible on our website, or at the links below. |
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