Brunswick County Health Services Identifies Two Cases of COVID-19 in Congregate Living Facility June 13, 2020
BOLIVIA, N.C. – Brunswick County Health Services has identified two individuals at a congregate living facility in the county who received positive test results for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
One of the positive cases is an employee at Universal Health Care of Brunswick and the second is a resident at Universal Health Care of Brunswick who is currently isolating in their room. This situation meets the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ (NCDHHS) definition of an outbreak.
Health Services team members are in communication with the facility’s management to provide guidance, address any service delivery and equipment needs, and to examine its infection control processes. The facility has already contacted all employees and family members of residents about this situation.
All residents and employees at the facility are being tested for COVID-19. At this time, one test among residents has come back positive and the results for the remaining tests are still pending.
Overall, the facility has put in place strong preventive measures in line with guidance from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and Brunswick County Health Services.
No further information concerning the facility’s employees or residents will be shared.
People can take simple actions each day to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, particularly through asymptomatic spread. Everyone is urged to follow the three Ws when visiting any public area to best protect one another from the spread of the virus. 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
The NCDHHS defines an outbreak at a congregational living facility as being two or more people—including residents or employees—who receive a positive test for the virus within a 28-day period. The NCDHHS reports on outbreaks in congregate living facilities statewide on its COVID-19 dashboard at https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard/congregate-living-settings
As of June 12, there are 196 positive cases of COVID-19 among county residents (106 considered recovered, 86 isolating at 60 different homes, 1 isolating at a hospital, 3 deaths) and 11 cases among non-residents (6 considered recovered, 3 transferred monitoring to home county, 2 deaths).
Find the latest information on case counts (including demographic data) on our Latest Information on Coronavirus webpage.
Find links to more information concerning testing in Brunswick County, answers to frequently asked questions, mental health resources, and resources for residents and businesses on our Health Services COVID-19 webpage.