Family gathering infects 41 people with the coronavirus, NC health official says
The number of laboratory-confirmed coronavirus cases in one North Carolina county — like much of the state — is spiking.
It’s not just due to increased testing, health officials say.
“The reality is this: more people are getting sick in Catawba County,” County Public Health Director Jennifer McCracken said in a news release Thursday. “This has been largely driven by the spread of COVID-19 from infected individuals, most of whom were not yet aware they were sick, to people they know.”
Catawba County, about 45 minutes northwest of Charlotte off Lake Norman, has reported 1,105 cases of the coronavirus and 13 deaths, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ data show.
According to one recent case study by the county health department, a single family gathering was responsible for at least 40 of those cases.
More than two dozen people were reportedly in attendance.
Folks did not wear masks or observe physical distancing at this gathering, and 14 people who attended subsequently tested positive for COVID-19,” McCracken said.
The family members went about their daily lives before they started showing symptoms — which can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That included going to work and “taking a beach trip with other families,” according to the release.
“This set into motion a person-to-person contact chain that to date has spread COVID-19 to 41 people in 9 different families and 8 different workplaces,” McCracken said.
A graphic published by the county health department illustrates the spread.
The child of a third family in attendance who tested positive infected two grandparents and their neighbor. At 65, 67 and 85, all three are considered high-risk to develop serious symptoms from the illness, according to the CDC.
A couple in the fourth family who contracted the virus went on a beach trip with two other couples before testing positive, Catawba County officials said. Both couples were infected, one of which passed the virus to four coworkers.
McCracken said she is sharing the example to show how easily the coronavirus spreads and what preventative measures like wearing masks or frequent hand-washing can do to prevent it.
“It’s not hard to prevent the spread COVID-19,” she said. “What’s hard is having to call 20, 30, 40 people a day and tell them that not only are they sick with an untreatable illness, but they are also required to isolate themselves from others, including their loved ones, and stay home from work for two weeks or until they recover.”
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Source: Durham Herald Sun
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As of July 14,
"At least 87,528 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 1,510 have died, according to state health officials."
"NC GOVERNOR WILL ANNOUNCE SCHOOL PLAN
N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper is scheduled to announce his long-awaited school plans at 3 p.m. Tuesday."
That was yesterday, so I'll post the details after listening to the broadcast on my next blog.
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SOURCE: newsobserver.com
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"...a national increase in COVID-19 testing and a national shortage of the needed reagents is causing a delay in test results from commercial labs. Individuals tested at Buncombe’s community testing sites should expect to receive results within five to eight days; anyone tested is expected to isolate until their COVID-19 status is confirmed.
Because data must be manually entered into the county’s COVID-19 dashboard, updated numbers will take several days to appear."
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SOURCE: Mountain Xpress newsletter
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I think the re-agent in labs is still in short supply, meaning taking a test today you don't find result for 5-8 days!
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I think the re-agent in labs is still in short supply, meaning taking a test today you don't find result for 5-8 days!
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"ASHEVILLE - Lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 have risen in Buncombe by 215 over the past week, indicating an exponential increase in the illness locally.
As of noon July 13, there were 898 cases in the county, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
On July 6, there were 683 local cases, according to the Buncombe health department's count. Later last week, officials warned the number of cases on the county website was lagging due to a high influx of new cases and the limitations of manual data entry.
Last Monday, Buncombe officials' tally was up 111 from the week prior.
Reports of new cases surged last week, rising at a rate that interim health director Dr. Jennifer Mullendore called "alarming" in a July 9 briefing."
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Source: July 13 Asheville Citizen Times
That's a really effective graphic. I wonder if the people who aren't listening or are actually resisting the truth will wake up and join those of us who are still isolating ourselves.
ReplyDeletebe well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I've quoted a lot of resources that were posted on Facebook. I dare say there are many more, but that graphic, and the explanations, really came through to me. I wanted to share it here (where very few people will see it actually) and at least have a record on my blog about what today's news is about.
Delete...none of this would be necessary if people weren't such idiots!
ReplyDeleteWell, having a person without any integrity in the white house hasn't helped at all.
DeleteThe US needs to take this seriously.
ReplyDeleteIt's so unfortunate that it's become politicized...it's obviously an issue beyond who you vote for! But I guess who you vote for will be managing the health care decisions...so at least that can tell the world that some of us aren't complete blathering unmasked idiots.
DeleteIt is frustrating.
ReplyDeleteIt says a lot that here our province recently had a day with absolutely no new cases.
If only people would take this seriously. I don't understand stupid thinking people. The virus spreads fast and is a killer. I just read a story about a 31 yr old guy who said he made a mistake by going to a covid party. He died soon afterward. He said he thought it was a hoax. Sad and dead.
ReplyDelete