Brunswick County Coronavirus Update (May 20, 2020)

By City of Northwest | May 20, 2020

KEY POINTS

  • Health Services identified three more residents who received a positive test result for the novel coronavirus Wednesday; these individuals are close contacts of a previously reported case and were quarantining.
  • As of Wednesday, May 20, there are now 64 positive cases of COVID-19 among county residents (48 considered recovered, 12 isolating at home, 2 isolating at a hospital, 2 deaths) and 10 cases among non-residents (5 considered recovered, 3 transferred monitoring to home county, 2 deaths).
  • Continue to limit your travel as much as possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our county and in our neighboring counties and state.
  • Free, anonymous mental health resources are available to residents and health care workers/first responders 24/7
  • The NCDHHS updated its guidance for clinicians on who should be tested for COVID-19 See more information about COVID-19 testing and screening sites in Brunswick County.
  • Help protect and respect the health of our fellow neighbors. Follow the three Ws when you visit any public area: Wear a cloth face covering; Wait six feet apart to avoid close contact and maintain appropriate social distancing between yourself and others; Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer.
  • See answers and information to several of our most frequently asked questions concerning COVID-19.

MEDIA RELEASE

BOLIVIA, N.C. – Brunswick County Health Services identified three more county residents who received positive test results for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) Wednesday.

These individuals are household contacts who were quarantining with a previously reported positive case. These individuals remain isolated at home and consist of an adult and minors. Contact tracing is still ongoing. To protect individual privacy, no further information will be released.

As of May 20, there are 64 positive cases identified among residents and 10 positive cases identified among non-residents in Brunswick County. Between May 13 to May 19, Brunswick County saw a 17 percent increase in positive reported cases among residents.

The State of North Carolina and Brunswick County’s neighboring counties also have had several positive cases identified. Limiting your travel to only the essentials helps both our county and these counties prevent the further spread of the virus.

REPORTED CASES AS OF MAY 19, 2020 IN THE STATE AND NEIGHBORING COUNTIES:
  • State of North Carolina: 19,700 cases (20 percent increase from May 13-19)
  • New Hanover County, North Carolina: 134 cases (16 percent increase from May 13-19)
  • Columbus County, North Carolina: 251 cases (21 percent increase from May 13-19)
  • Horry County, South Carolina: 303 cases (11 percent increase from May 13-19)
  • Pender County, North Carolina: 50 cases (20 percent increase from May 13-19)

Follow the links above for the most up-to-date information on a county’s case counts and COVID-19 response.

North Carolina’s Phase 1 is still in effect through the Friday, May 22 unless otherwise directed from Governor Roy Cooper. Brunswick County has not initiated any additional restrictions beyond those mandated in the Governor’s Executive Order No. 138. You are encouraged to reach out to your municipality or check their website to see if additional restrictions are in place within their jurisdiction.

Staying home is still the best way to continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect North Carolinians. The NCDHHS encourages everyone to follow the three Ws when visiting any public area. These efforts work best when they are all practiced together by as many people as possible:

  • Wear a cloth face covering when in public (Make sure both your nose and mouth are fully covered and you are able to breathe normally while wearing it.)
  • Wait six feet apart to avoid close contact and maintain appropriate social distancing between yourself and others
  • Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer while also following other best hygiene practices

More information about the Governor’s Executive Order No. 138 concerning Phase 1 is available below.

COVID-19 FAQ OF THE DAY

CAN HOSPITALS PERFORM ELECTIVE OR NON-URGENT PROCEDURES AND SURGERIES?
  • As of May 1, 2020, each hospital can resume elective and non-urgent procedures in accordance with the guidance developed by the North Carolina Healthcare Association (NCHA) and the additional considerations issued from the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS). Individuals should reach out to the hospital(s) they are considering using or will use for an elective or non-urgent procedure or surgery to see if they have resumed these services or have plans to do so.

See more answers and information to several of our most frequently asked questions concerning COVID-19.

Answers to questions about the Governor’s Executive Order No. 138 (Phase 1) are on the NCDHHS website.

BRUNSWICK COUNTY TEST RESULTS

As of May 20, there are now 64 positive cases of COVID-19, 21 pending test results and 2,251 confirmed negative test results, totaling 2,336 tests administered so far among Brunswick County residents. Of the 64 positive cases, 32 are male and 32 are female; 48 are considered recovered cases, 12 are isolating at eight different homes, two are isolating at a hospital, and two are deaths associated to COVID-19.

There are 10 cases involving non-residents who tested positive for COVID-19 while visiting Brunswick County, resulting in their contacts having to quarantine as well; these cases are not reflected in the County’s total case counts. Seven of these cases are male and three are female. Five of the non-resident cases are considered recovered, and the County has transferred monitoring for three cases to the individuals’ home counties; two are deaths associated to COVID-19.

COUNTY RESIDENT CASES

Age Range of Positive Cases

  • 0-17 years old: 3
  • 18-24 years old: 4
  • 25-49 years old: 14
  • 50-64 years old: 21
  • 65+ years old: 22

Ethnicity of Positive Cases

  • White: 55
  • Black/African American: 8
  • Asian: 1

Hispanic Ethnicity of Positive Cases

  • Yes: 5
  • No: 59
COUNTY NON-RESIDENT CASES

Age Range

  • 0-17 years old: Zero cases
  • 18-24 years old: Zero cases
  • 25-49 years old: 4
  • 50-64 years old: 1
  • 65+ years old: 5

Ethnicity of Positive Cases

  • White: 9
  • Unknown: 1

Hispanic Ethnicity of Positive Cases

  • Yes: 3
  • No: 7

To protect individual privacy, no further information will be released.

COVID-19 TEST REPORTS IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY AMONG COUNTY RESIDENTS
Positive Test Results Reported to the County (County Residents)66
Pending Test Sample Results at the State Laboratory or Private Laboratories (County Residents)21
Confirmed Negative Test Results Reported to the County (County Residents)2,275
Number of Test Samples Reported to the County (County Residents)2,362
Positive Cases Isolating at Home (County Residents)11
Positive Cases Isolating at a Hospital (County Residents)2
Recoveries Among Positive Cases (County Residents)51
Associated COVID-19 Deaths (County Residents)2

Statistics as of May 21, 2020 at 5 p.m.

COVID-19 TEST REPORTS IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY AMONG NON-RESIDENTS
Positive Test Results (Non-Residents)10
Positive Cases Isolating in the County (Non-Residents)0
Positive Cases Isolating at a Hospital (Non-Residents)0
Recoveries Among Positive Cases (Non-Residents)5
Transferred Monitoring to Home County (Non-Residents)3
Associated COVID-19 Deaths (Non-Residents)2

Statistics as of May 21, 2020 at 5 p.m.

Note: Brunswick County Health Services is encouraging providers in the County’s jurisdiction to continue to report persons under investigation (PUI) at this time, however NCDHHS no longer mandates that the PUI form be completed and sent to the local health departments, which could result in under reporting of test counts. These numbers reflected the information reported to the County from local health care providers.

Public Health monitors all individuals who test positive and any individuals in self-quarantine on a regular basis. The County will share statistics on the number of test samples and final reports Public Health is receiving in its update to allow for transparency and efficiency.

Brunswick County will provide updates on any positive cases considered a low risk for community spread unless a serious public health concern requires a separate release.

The NCDHHS has a case count webpage for North Carolina with information on the number of positive cases residing in zip codes. Brunswick County Health Services reminds individuals that zip codes only tell the location of where a positive case resides and does not mean that that is where the individual got the virus.

Most of the County’s resident and non-resident cases are related to travel to or from places outside of Brunswick County, however there is evidence of community spread of the virus in some of the resident cases. There are also a couple of instances where a positive case has transmitted the virus to another person outside of their household who was later tested and identified as a positive case.

Of the 64 identified cases, 48 are considered recovered cases, 12 are isolating at eight different homes and two are isolating at a hospital. These isolating positive cases pose a low risk to the public as they and any household contacts are isolated or quarantined.

Everyone in needs to continue to take actions that best protect themselves from COVID-19 wherever they are and should assume that they can be exposed to the virus anywhere—hence the need to wear a face covering, wait six feet apart from other people, and wash their hands regularly with soap and water for 20 seconds and/or use hand sanitizer frequently.

Patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 are in isolation in their homes, which are located within the majority of zip codes throughout the county. Identified positive cases only represent a fraction of the actual positive cases as not everyone who is sick with COVID-19 are being tested in light of the CDC’s guidance that individuals with mild symptoms are typically able to recover at home without a test.

LOCAL AND STATE PUBLIC HEALTH CALL LINES

BRUNSWICK COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH CALL LINE

The County is operating a joint information center with a Public Health Call Line and email to answer residents’ coronavirus questions (available Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). More information is also available on our website at https://www.brunswickcountync.gov/coronavirus

Individuals who have questions afterhours are encouraged to use the North Carolina 2-1-1 program or call the North Carolina Public Health Call Line, which has public health professionals available 24 hours a day every day to answer questions.

NC PUBLIC HEALTH CALL LINE (OPEN 24/7)
  • 866.462.3821
NORTH CAROLINA 2-1-1 PROGRAM
  • For COVID-19 questions, dial 2-1-1 or 888-892-1162
  • Sign up for updates by texting COVIDNC to 898211

The COVID-19 situation is a stressful situation for many of us. There are several resources available should you need to speak with someone anonymously at this time:

  • Trillium: 877.685.2415 (24-hour availability in English and Spanish)
  • Disaster Distress Helpline: 800.985.5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 (24-hour availability in English and Spanish)
  • Hope4NC Helpline: 1-855-587-3463 (available 24/7)
  • Hope4Healers Helpline (for health care professionals, emergency medical specialists, first responders, other staff who work in health care settings and their families who are experiencing stress from being on the front lines of the state’s COVID-19 response): 919-226-2002 (available 24/7)
  • More resources are available through the NC Department of Health & Human Services:

Find the latest information, case counts, contact information for community partners and food resources in Brunswick County on our Latest Information on Coronavirus webpage.

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