Orange County Health News
June 23, 2021 |
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Staying Safe on Hot DaysExtreme heat is a period of high heat and humidity with temperatures above 90 degrees for at least two to three days. In extreme heat your body works extra hard to maintain a normal temperature, which can lead to death. In fact, extreme heat is responsible for the highest number of annual deaths among all weather-related hazards.- Extreme heat can occur quickly and without warning.
- Older adults, children and sick or overweight individuals are at greater risk from extreme heat.
- Humidity increases the feeling of heat as measured by a heat index.
IF YOU ARE UNDER AN EXTREME HEAT WARNING:- Find air conditioning.
- Avoid strenuous activities.
- Wear light clothing.
- Check on family members and neighbors.
- Drink plenty of fluids.
- Watch for heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
- Never leave people or pets in a closed car.
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Free COVID-19 Walk-In Clinics*Please note: the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic in Hillsborough will be closed on Wednesday, June 23rd. |
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Free COVID-19 Pop-Up Clinics
Wednesday, June 23rd: Gravelly Hill Middle School at 4801 West Ten Rd., Efland from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Flyer: English/SpanishSaturday, June 26th: Rogers Road Community Center (RENA) at 101 Edgar St., Chapel Hill from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Flyers: English/Spanish, Karen
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Governor Cooper Announces $4 Million Summer Cash and College Tuition Drawings to Encourage COVID-19 VaccinationsFour North Carolinians 18 and Older to Win $1 Million; Four North Carolinians 12 to 17 to Win $125,000 for Post-Secondary Education
As part of North Carolina’s effort to encourage more North Carolinians to receive COVID-19 vaccines, Governor Roy Cooper announced $4 Million Summer Cash and College Tuition drawings to motivate those who have not yet been vaccinated — and thank those who have. Four vaccinated North Carolinians 18 and older will win $1 million each and four North Carolinians ages 12 to 17 will win tuition for post-secondary education. Executive Order 219, which has concurrence from the North Carolina Council of State, authorizes the drawings.
North Carolinians 18 and over who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine will be automatically entered into four drawings for a chance to win a $1 million cash prize. Youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be automatically entered into four drawings to win $125,000 towards post-secondary education. The $125,000 can be used at any post-secondary institution and is awarded in the form of a NC 529 account.
READ MORE.
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Why is it so important for my kids to get caught up on their childhood immunizations during the COVID-19 pandemic?Although you are probably juggling a lot of responsibilities right now, making sure your children are up-to-date on their shots is one of the best things you can do to protect them against some pretty serious but preventable diseases.
Pediatricians have seen a sharp drop in vaccinations since the start of the pandemic, which is a really frightening trend. When children are not vaccinated, they are at risk of getting diseases like measles, polio and hepatitis A and B that can cause lifelong disability or death. Falling vaccination rates can lead to new outbreaks of dangerous diseases. And that's the last thing anyone needs on top of COVID-19.Regular visits to the pediatricianImmunizations usually take place at your child's check-ups. (Here are the recommended vaccination schedules for birth through age 6 and 7-18.) Keeping these appointments is very important so your kids don't miss out on shots or other important care, such as physical exams and health screenings.
But if your child does miss a shot, you don't need to start over. Just go back to your pediatrician's office so your child can catch up with the vaccines they need to stay healthy.What if we're low on money right now?Job layoffs during the pandemic have caused many families to lose income and health insurance. It's important for parents to know that families who qualify can receive vaccines at no charge through the federally funded Vaccines for Children program.
In addition to getting caught-up on routine immunizations, here are some other reasons to visit your pediatrician right now:- Newborn visits
- Hearing and vision screenings
- To check on developmental milestones
- To check blood pressure and other vital signs
- To treat infections or injuries
- Adolescent health concerns, such as menstrual care and depression screening
- Routine lab tests
- For preparticipation physical examinations before returning to sports or other activities.
Call your pediatricianPediatricians are being extra careful to make sure their offices are safe. If you are worried about COVID-19, call your doctor's office to learn about the strict cleaning and disinfecting they are doing to keep everyone safe.
Do you have other questions about vaccines or well child visits? Be sure to ask your child's doctor. Pediatricians are seeing patients and available to answer any questions that you have. In fact, they would love to hear from you.More information |
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Asking Saves Lives Day:
Safe Gun Storage Reminders
June 21st was National "Asking Saves Lives Day". Parents are reminded about the importance of asking about safe firearm storage when their children are visiting other homes. This includes visits to relatives, friends, playdates, and babysitters. Learn more. |
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An Anti-Vaccine Film Targeted to Black Americans Spreads False Information
A new movie produced by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s anti-vaccine group tries to capitalize on the covid-19 pandemic, the racial justice movement and renewed interest in the history of medical racism.
Kaiser Health News
By Will Stone
When a filmmaker asked medical historian Naomi Rogers to appear in a documentary, the Yale professor didn’t blink. She had done these “talking head” interviews many times before.
She assumed her comments would end up in a straightforward documentary that addressed some of the most pressing concerns of the pandemic, such as the legacy of racism in medicine and how that plays into current mistrust in some communities of color. The subject of vaccines was also mentioned, but the focus wasn’t clear to Rogers.
The director wanted something more polished than a Zoom call, so a well-outfitted camera crew arrived at Rogers’ home in Connecticut last fall. They showed up wearing masks and gloves. Before the interview, crew members cleaned the room thoroughly. Then they spent about an hour interviewing Rogers. She discussed her research and in particular controversial figures such as Dr. James Marion Sims, who was influential in the field of gynecology but who performed experimental surgery on enslaved Black women during the 1800s without anesthesia.
“We were talking about issues of racism and experimentation, and they seemed to be handled appropriately,” Rogers recalled. At the time, there were few indications that anything was out of the ordinary — except one. During a short break, she asked who else was being interviewed for the film. The producer’s response struck Rogers as curiously vague.
“They said, ‘Well, there’s ‘a guy’ in New York, and we talked to ‘somebody in New Jersey, and California,'” Rogers told NPR. “I thought it’s so odd that they wouldn’t tell me who these people were.”
It wasn’t until March that Rogers would stumble upon the answer.
She received an email from a group called Children’s Health Defense — prominent in the anti-vaccine movement — promoting its new film, “Medical Racism: The New Apartheid.”
When she clicked on the link and began watching the 57-minute film, she was shocked to discover this was the movie she had sat down for back in October.
“I was naive, certainly, in assuming that this was actually a documentary, which I would say it is not. I think that it is an advocacy piece for anti-vaxxers,” Rogers said. “I’m still very angry. I feel that I was used.”
The free online film is the latest effort by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the founder of Children’s Health Defense. (He’s a son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert “Bobby” Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.) With this film, Kennedy and his allies in the anti-vaccine movement resurface and promote disproven claims about the dangers of vaccines, while aiming squarely at a specific demographic: Black Americans.
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Long COVID and Other Post-COVID ConditionsCDC
Although most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks of illness, some people experience post-COVID conditions. Post-COVID conditions are a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people can experience more than four weeks after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. Even people who did not have symptoms when they were infected can have post-COVID conditions. These conditions can have different types and combinations of health problems for different lengths of time.
CDC and experts around the world are working to learn more about short- and long-term health effects associated with COVID-19, who gets them, and why.Long COVIDLong COVID is a range of symptoms that can last weeks or months after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 or can appear weeks after infection. Long COVID can happen to anyone who has had COVID-19, even if the illness was mild, or they had no symptoms. People with long COVID report experiencing different combinations of the following symptoms:- Tiredness or fatigue
- Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”)
- Headache
- Loss of smell or taste
- Dizziness on standing
- Fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations)
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Cough
- Joint or muscle pain
- Depression or anxiety
- Fever
- Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental activities
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North Carolina COVID-19 Cases
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reports 1,011,100 COVID-19 cases, 13,382 deaths, and 463 hospitalizations.
45% of North Carolina's population is at least partially vaccinated, and 42% is fully vaccinated.
There are currently 8,584 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 101 deaths in Orange County. 64% of Orange County residents are at least partially vaccinated, and 61% are fully vaccinated.
For more information regarding live updates (NCDHHS updates the site every day around 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.
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