Orange County Health Department moves into phase 1b of COVID vaccine effort

North Carolina has moved into Phase 1b Group 1 of COVID vaccine distribution, meaning individuals 75 and older are now eligible to receive the COVID vaccine. There is no requirement to have certain qualifying chronic conditions.

If you are 75 or older, please follow the three-step process:

Complete the Vaccine Interest Form (VIF) at https://redcap.link/OCHDvax or call 919-913-8088 if you don’t have access to a computer or would like help filling out the form. Foreign language interpreters will be available. We are anticipating very high call volume. Please be patient for a return call if you decide to leave a voicemail.
Register for the vaccine. You will receive an email with a link to an online registration form to enter your data into the COVID-19 Vaccine Management System (CVMS). It will take several minutes to complete. It is only available in English, but county staff are available to help register in other languages besides English by calling 919-913-8088.
Schedule your vaccine appointment. When an individual is eligible to receive a vaccine, you will receive another email from the Orange County Health Department to schedule an appointment.

Orange County began vaccinating individuals 75 and older on Thursday. Through Friday, the health department said it had vaccinated 999 people.

“Due to limited availability of vaccine, Orange County may not be able to schedule appointments for everyone who is eligible right away,” said Orange County Health Director Quintana Stewart. “Please be patient as we work through this process.”

Click here for more information.

Tax Office announces error in listing forms; mails corrected forms

The Orange County Tax Office announced an error during printing of the 2021 Real and Personal Listing Forms caused the signature block not to print on the bottom of the form. The error was caught quickly, and corrected forms were mailed Jan. 5.

The corrected form will have the signature line at the bottom of the page as it normally does for the property owner to sign, print and date. When returning your form, please use the corrected form.

The Board recently extended the deadline to submit the listing forms from Jan. 31 to Feb. 28, 2021.

This error was on the part of our printer and there is no cost to the county to correct it. The Tax Office and the printing company both apologize for any inconvenience the error may cause.

Questions may be directed to 919-245-2100 or tax@orangecountync.gov.

County offers another round of grant program for small businesses, farms and food processors

Orange County’s Board of Commissioners have approved emergency funds throughout 2020 to assist our many small businesses, farms and food processors that have faced critical financial hardships during the current COVID-19 crisis. Thus far, Orange County’s total pandemic-related emergency financial assistance has already provided 78 separate awards totaling $520,130 for the benefit of these valued small business and agricultural ventures. This assistance was made in the form of two now-completed “Round 1” (loans and grants) and “Round 2” (grants) programs.

Orange County is now offering a “Round 3” emergency grant program, managed by the Economic Development office.

The Orange County Emergency Small Business Funding Program assists Orange County-based small businesses that are experiencing financial difficulties such as mandated shutdowns, employee layoffs, and operating losses as a result of ongoing efforts at the Federal, State and local authorities to contain and minimize the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Application Location: The application will be available at Noon, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, on the Orange County website: orangecountync.gov/2362/Emergency-Small-Business-Funding-Program.
Application Deadline: Final applications must be received by 5 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021

Click here for more information.

Recreation Division Program Guide now available

Click the graphic for the latest edition of the Orange County DEAPR-Recreation Division Program Guide. Virtual and in-person programs are offered.

Registration is open at www.orangecountync.gov/activityregistration or by phone at 919.245.2660, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Orange County Recreation administrative offices remain closed to the public. In-person registration is not accepted.

Orange County Home repair assistance graphic

Animal Services announces new program to help low-income families with pet medical expenses

In order to keep more pets in their homes with their families, Orange County Animal Services has developed a fund that can assist Orange County residents with non-emergency veterinary expenses.

"In general, we see many heartbreaking pet surrenders to our shelter as a result of owners not being able to afford to properly care for their pets when they need medical attention," said Orange County Animal Services Director Bob Marotto. "We know that, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we will likely see increases in these types of surrenders as a result of unemployment and other economic pressures."

This fund is available to Orange County residents based on their needs and ability to meet income criteria. Please see more information about how to qualify and coverage details here. Obtaining this assistance would require collaboration with local veterinarians or specialists, and may cover full or partial medical expenses for issues such as: skin infections and other skin issues, dental issues, minor surgeries, etc.

Funds will be issued to veterinarians and veterinary clinics or hospitals for these services for dogs, cats and other pets from economically challenged households in Orange County.

"This type of program will help people retain their pets and will be extremely beneficial for pets, pet owners, and Orange County Animal Services," said Marotto.

OCAS has established a GoFundMe for residents who wish to donate to the campaign. All funds received will be used for the program.

Puppet Show Inc. presents a re-telling of “Borreguita and the Coyote,” a folktale from Mexico. A craft is available on our website. Register online or call 919-245-2525. Only one registration per household is needed.

Orange County COVID-19 Updated Data Jan. 8, 2021

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

TOTAL CASES: 5,431
TOTAL DEATHS: 66
TOTAL VACCINES GIVEN: 999

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 for more information.

www.orangecountync.gov