Contact: Kristin Prelipp, Communications Manager and
Public Information Officer
kprelipp@orangecountync.gov or (919) 245-2462
As of April 2, 2020, Orange County, N.C., has 37 confirmed cases of COVID-19, two associated with a single facility, PruittHealth – Carolina Point.
The PruittHealth cases involve a health care worker who is currently in satisfactory condition and in isolation at home and a resident who is hospitalized at Duke Hospital.
The Orange County Health Department (OCHD) is currently working with PruittHealth to provide care for ill patients while protecting uninfected patients. Orange County Health Director, Quintana Stewart said, “We have been in daily communications with the facility since it became concerned about a resident with respiratory symptoms over two weeks ago. Together, we have been monitoring symptomatic residents and testing suspected close contacts as needed.”
Expert Advice
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, if you have mild symptoms, such as a fever and cough without shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, you should isolate yourself as if you have COVID-19. This will reduce the risk of making people around you sick. You can call your doctor to see if you should be tested or need medical care.
You can go back to their normal activities when you can answer YES to ALL three of the below questions:
- Has it been at least seven days since you first had symptoms?
- Have you been without fever for three days (72 hours) without taking any medicine for fever?
- Are your symptoms improved?
Call your doctor if your symptoms are getting worse or if you have any concerns about your health. Emergency rooms need to be able to serve the most critically ill. Please do not use the emergency room unless you are very sick.
Limit Exposure
Household members and people who have been in close contact with someone who has had symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home as much as possible for 14 days and monitor themselves for symptoms. Close contact means within six feet for at least 10 minutes. If they start having symptoms of COVID-19, they should take the same steps to prevent spreading it.
Long-Term Care Facility Guidance
The Health Department is ensuring that the facility is complying with the latest guidance from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which includes evaluating and supplementing personal protective equipment supplies as needed as well as following the NC DHHS Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Contact Tracing instructions. The guidance: https://files.nc.gov/ncdhhs/documents/files/covid-19/interim-covid-guidance-long-term-care-settings.pdf
This includes:
- no outside visitors
- regular resident and health care professional screenings
- isolation protocols
- personal protective equipment (PPE) instructions and usage
The facility had been limiting visitors and also put social distancing protocols into place after the March 10th Guidance from the NC DHHS, which outlined people who are at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
First responders ― including police officers, firefighters, and Emergency Medical Services staff ― are trained to interact with community members with health and safety in mind. They receive updates about best practices when encountering someone who may be sick and work with public health officials to ensure proper notification and documentation.
Reliable information
Please rely on accurate sources of information:
- CDC: www.cdc.gov
- N.C. Department of Health and Human Services: www.ncdhhs.gov The site includes positive COVID-19 test results in North Carolina.
- For the latest information and guidance relating to Orange County’s COVID-19 response, visit https://www.orangecountync.gov/Coronavirus
- The phone line for questions about COVID-19 is 919-245-6111 and is available from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Spanish language and other languages are available.
- To receive daily text updates on the crisis, please text OCNCHEALTH to 888777. For Spanish speakers, text OCNCSALUD to 888-777.
- You may also sign up for a twice weekly e-newsletter about the COVID-19 response via our website.
- Please follow the Orange County Health Department on Facebook and Twitter.
- NCDHHS’ website https://www.ncdhhs.gov/covid-19-case-count-nc, will include future positive COVID-19 test results in North Carolina.
- For questions about the Stay at Home Order, see Frequently Asked Questions document that clarifies, in plain language, what the Order means for community members.