Update 4 p.m. — At a media roundtable on Friday afternoon, county officials urged residents to prepare, but to also remain calm and clear-headed about the spread of Covid-19. Notes from that meeting are below:
Steven Still, the county’s emergency management director, noted that his team had been working on preparing a ‘beginning to end’ framework for a response for about 18 days. Officials said they were pleased when the recently released CDC guidelines for the outbreak matched up closely with guidance the county was already giving to residents, which include frequent hand-washing, sanitizing common areas and electronic devices, and avoiding gatherings of more than 100 people (at-risk residents should avoid gatherings of more than 10 at-risk people).
Public Health Preparedness Coordinator Lisa Brown confirmed what she had said in an earlier press release — that cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, are very likely.
County Manager Chris Coudriet was emphatic that there are no current Covid-19 cases in New Hanover County; however, there are still samples from the region that are pending at the state level. Currently, state tests are taking about 1-2 days to process (private tests are taking around 3-4 days). Backlogs could increase in the future, however, if the number of suspected cases increases.
County officials also provided more details on testing; they began by asking anyone who believes they have symptoms to first get tested for the flu to rule that out (those without doctors can contact the county’s public health department at 910-798-3500 to get a flu test set up at an urgent care facility). There is no cost for Covid-19 testing through the county, private tests are covered by most insurance providers, as well as Medicare and Medicaid. County officials ask residents to call ahead before going to any facility with potential Covid-19 symptoms.
Currently, both the county’s public health department and private physicians are collecting samples; the county’s samples are being tested by the state’s lab, while many private samples are being tested by LabCorp, after the company’s test was approved by the FDA. The county currently has the equipment to take around 30 samples; private practices have a much greater capacity, officials said.
Private physicians and private labs are both required to report any test for Covid-19. Positive tests are reported immediately to the state. Negative tests are still reported, but the reporting may lag behind — due to this county officials said the number of tests from New Hanover County is in flux.
According to Brown, about six or seven samples have been collected in the county. All tested negative. The first sample was taken about a week ago, but officials said the patient did not present symptoms but requested a test anyway; Brown noted that without symptoms, even if a person had been exposed to coronavirus, there would not be enough of the virus present in their system to be able to test.
According to officials, any positive test from the state lab would be announced very quickly (almost immediately). While all positive state tests are sent to the CDC for confirmation, the announcement would not wait for federal lab confirmation.
County officials noted empty shelves where residents had purchased large quantities of disinfectant, toilet paper, and other supplies — and asked residents to be mindful of their neighbors, stocking up ‘within reason.’
The county is maintaining and updating a dedicated page for Covid-19 information here.
NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Several New Hanover County residents are undergoing testing to determine whether or not they have the new coronavirus and the illness caused by it, Covid-19.
“[The] New Hanover County Public Health has been made aware of several residents being tested for COVID-19. Public Health will be monitoring each person identified as tested for the virus and will update the public immediately if any test comes back as positive. As of 1 p.m. on March 13, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Hanover County,” according to a press release from New Hanover County.
Cases of the virus have tripled in the past few days and according to Public Health Preparedness Coordinator Lisa Brown, it is not a matter of if we see cases of Covid-19 in New Hanover County, but a matter of when.
“Several individuals have been tested in New Hanover County, and we are taking the steps to increase guidance and protective measures ahead of positive cases here to protect our residents, especially those at risk of serious illness. Globally, we see that strong actions early can limit the impact of the virus on the community and potentially reduce strain on the healthcare system. It will take all of us following this guidance to keep our area safe and healthy. Since yesterday we have seen a number of organizations make changes to their schedules and operations, and we commend their forward thinking and preparation. We hope this detailed guidance tailored for our community is helpful to our residents,” she said.
COUNTY OPERATIONS & EVENTS
New Hanover County as a whole will continue to operate but some programs and services will be impacted and/or suspended to help reduce risk.
- Effective Saturday, March 14 and through the end of April, all county-sponsored group activities and events will be suspended. This includes group events at Cape Fear Museum, Public Libraries, Arboretum, Airlie Gardens and Parks and Gardens. All facilities are still open to visitors for one-on-one services, but no county-initiated group activities will take place.
- Entities that have reserved a county facility can continue with their activities, as long as they meet the guidance outlined of 100 people or less, and no more than 10 people in the at-risk category. We encourage the public to take proactive measures and practice safe distancing, and cancel events or group activities as appropriate.
- The Senior Resource Center, including the Castle Hayne satellite site, will be closed for general recreation activities beginning Monday, March 16 for several weeks because they serve the most at-risk population for COVID-19. Senior Resource Center staff will provide a drive-thru and lunch delivery service for those who utilize nutrition services, and will continue operating the Home Delivered Meals Program. The Senior Resource Center’s critical services will continue, including one-on-one social work, SHIIP, and VITA services, as well as medical and non-medical transportation services will continue. As much as possible, these services will be provided in one-on-one settings and by phone. Customers are encouraged to call ahead for services to 910-798-6400.
- At this time, the Board of Commissioners, Planning Board, and most other official government meetings will continue as scheduled. The county is working on modifications to continue public meetings as well as other teleconferencing capabilities, in order to abide by the guidance of having no more than 100 people congregated.
- Additionally, county employees will not travel out of town for business, will hold meetings, as much as possible, by conference call, webinar or other virtual platform, and will work from home or rotate public facing responsibilities to encourage social distancing.
Two county government meetings scheduled for next week have also been canceled:
- The Non-County Agency Funding Committee completed its business on March 12 and no longer needs the meeting on March 19, so it has been canceled.
- The Health and Human Services meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 17 has been canceled because there were no time-sensitive agenda items.
Court dates in the county (and the state) have also been suspended for the majority of cases for 30 days.
“As we heard from the Governor yesterday, the public is expected to follow this guidance, and we will follow as a county organization and make modifications necessary to protect the public and continue governance as we navigate this together,” said County Manager Chris Coudriet. “Unfortunately, our community is no stranger to emergency preparedness, but to our benefit, I am confident we, as a community, are ahead of the curve and as prepared to respond as we can be.”
Visit Health.NHCgov.com/Coronavirus or CDC.gov for more information.
