Granville Vance Public Health Logo

Six Deaths Reported in Second COVID Outbreak at Senior Citizens Home

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-Information courtesy Granville Vance Public Health

According to information provided by Granville Vance Public Health (GVPH), six recent COVID-19 related deaths associated with the current outbreak at Senior Citizens Home in Henderson, NC have been reported. A 90-year-old female, an 86-year-old female and an 88-year-old male passed away on November 17, 2020. A 97-year-old female, a 99-year-old female and an 80-year-old female passed away on November 18, 2020.

Additionally, GVPH provided the following update for COVID-19 spread and response in Granville and Vance County as of November 19, 2020. Granville Vance Public Health numbers correlate with the NC Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NCEDSS) data.

The county case numbers reported on the NC county map from the NC Department of Health and Human Services may differ from the ones reported locally as they are updated at different times and may change once residence is verified.

Vance County

Total Cases: 1,494
Active Cases: 335

Total Cases in Community: 1,329
Active Cases: 299
Cases Off-Isolation: 1,010

Total Cases at Long-Term Care Facilities: 165
Active Cases: 36
Cases Off-Isolation: 95

There is currently an outbreak at Senior Citizens Home.

Total Hospitalized with COVID-19: 12

Total Deaths: 54
Community: 20
Pelican Nursing Home: 14
Kerr Lake Nursing Home: 12
Senior Citizens Home: 8

Granville County

Total Cases: 2,361
Active Cases: 249

Total Cases in Community: 1,648
Active Cases: 218
Cases Off-Isolation: 1,422

Total Cases at Federal Prison: 531
Active Cases: 4
Cases Off-Isolation: 505

Total Cases at Long-Term Care Facilities: 182
Active Cases: 27
Cases Off-Isolation: 130

There are currently outbreaks at Central Regional Hospital, Murdoch Development Center and Granville House.

Total Hospitalized with COVID-19: 4

Total Deaths: 55
Community: 8
Central Regional: 1
Granville House: 1
Murdoch Development Center: 2
Universal Health Care: 21
Federal Prison: 22

Additional Information

The number of those who have been ‘released from isolation’ is determined by the CDC Guidance for discontinuation of isolation for persons with COVID-19.

Please visit GVPH’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard (click here) for tables and graphs that are updated daily.

Salvation Army

Classic Toyota of Henderson Partners With Salvation Army for Day of Service

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-Press Release, The Salvation Army of Henderson

Classic Toyota of Henderson, part of the Mills Automotive Group, is partnering with The Salvation Army to provide food boxes for families in need during the Mills Automotive Group Day of Service drive-thru food giveaway.

Dealership employees will work alongside The Salvation Army and city officials to load food boxes into cars and provide a gift card for every household. 250 food boxes have been sponsored by Mills Automotive Group for the food giveaway. The Salvation Army is working with community social service providers to identify and invite families in need.

WHEN: Wednesday, November 25, 2020 ~ 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

WHERE: Classic Toyota of Henderson, 205 Toyota Lane Henderson, NC 27537

For more information, please contact The Salvation Army of Henderson at (252) 438-7107 or email derrick.smith@uss.salvationarmy.org.

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

GVPH Conducts COVID Testing Daily, Provides Important Reminders

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Press Release, Granville Vance Public Health

UPDATE: North Carolina continues to prioritize increased access to testing, along with expanded contact tracing capacity to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Granville Vance Public Health (GVPH) offers testing for community members who have symptoms of COVID-19; for those who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive; or for those who believe they may have been exposed to COVID-19, whether or not they have symptoms.

As a reminder, although many have and can spread COVID-19 with no symptoms, symptoms of COVID-19 can include one or more of the following: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, headache, muscle pain, fatigue, and congestion or runny nose.

A close contact is defined as anyone who was within six feet of an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more. Given the incubation period of Coronavirus, if you are a contact and are not experiencing any symptoms, it is recommended that you wait at least six days after your first known exposure to COVID-19 to get tested.

Additionally, you may have been unknowingly exposed to COVID-19 if you’re a frontline or essential worker; if you’ve attended a gathering with family, friends, or others who live outside your home; if you’ve dined indoors at a restaurant; or if you’ve attended large public or private events. If you believe you may have been exposed, we recommend you get tested. We can bill your insurance, or, if you are uninsured, we can provide a medical evaluation and testing for COVID-19 at no cost.

GVPH conducts testing every morning. In order to make an appointment for testing, please call us in Granville at (919) 693-2141 or Vance at (252) 492-7915. If someone has symptoms, we can offer telemedicine visits to provide a medical evaluation which would be recommended at that time.

Additionally, GVPH continues to work with our partners to support community-based testing events and other targeted efforts to help us reach historically marginalized populations and groups at higher risk of exposure. There are several other providers offering testing in our communities. To find out more about available testing locations near you, visit the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Find My Testing Place tool and the Check My Symptoms tool to determine if you will be recommended to be tested, both of which can be found at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/about-covid-19/symptoms.

If you test positive for COVID-19 or believe you might have it, you should stay home and separate yourself from other people in the home as much as possible. If you test negative for COVID-19, that does not mean you will not get sick in the future, as you could turn positive within 14 days of exposure. You could also be exposed to COVID-19 after the test and then get infected and spread the virus to others. Therefore, the most important thing you can do to slow the spread of COVID-19 is to follow the 3 Ws: wait 6 feet away from others, wear a cloth face covering and wash your hands.

Vance County Courthouse

Vance County Court Sessions Canceled Through Nov. 25

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In response to an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Vance County Courthouse, the Hon. Henry Gupton informed WIZS News that court sessions are canceled for next week. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, this would include Monday, November 23, Tuesday, November 24 and Wednesday, November 25, 2020.

Gupton said, “I met with Granville Vance Health Department officials late yesterday afternoon concerning the current situation in my office, which is now considered by them to be a cluster. My office is currently open with limited staffing for filings that are required by North Carolina General Statute, and the courthouse remains open. However, after a conversation late yesterday afternoon with our Chief District Court Judge John W. Davis and our District Attorney Mike Waters, a decision has been made to cancel all courts in Vance County scheduled for next week, which would be Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, in order to protect our staff as well as the citizens of Vance County.”

On Wednesday, the decision was made to cancel court for the rest of this week due to “two or three positive COVID tests of those who work in or around the courthouse and the courtrooms.” A thorough cleaning of the courthouse will be performed.

WIZS will bring you additional information on this situation as it is released.

Vance County Logo

Vance Public Safety Committee to Meet on Ambulance Franchise Application

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-Information courtesy the County of Vance

Vance County’s Public Safety Committee (Wilder, Brummitt, Taylor) is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, December 1, 2020, at 4 p.m.

The meeting will be held in the Administrative Conference Room of the Vance County Administration Building located at 122 Young Street, Henderson, NC.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss an ambulance franchise application from North State Medical Transport.

Local News Audio

Noon News 11-19-20 Covid Outbreak At Court House; Covid19 Alert; City Of Henderson Covid Statement

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Stories include:

– Covid19 Outbreak at Vance Co. Court House

– Covid19 Alert System

– City of Henderson statement on Covid 19

For full details and audio click play

 

NC State Board of Elections

County Boards of Elections Complete Post-Election Audits

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-Press Release, NC State Board of Elections

As a statewide recount for a North Carolina Supreme Court contest begins in North Carolina, all 100 county boards of elections recently completed hand-to-eye audits for the 2020 general election, an important step in confirming accurate election results.

Pursuant to state law, the bipartisan county boards conduct a hand-to-eye audit of ballots from randomly selected voting groups. In a presidential election like 2020, the audited contest is always the president of the United States.

The audit is a comparison of the machine counts of ballots with hand-to-eye counts to ensure voting equipment recorded voters’ choices accurately. The voting systems and software of two companies – ES&S and Hart InterCivic – are certified for use in North Carolina. All counties use voting equipment from one of those companies.

Statewide, more than 150 Election Day precincts and 30 early voting sites were audited. Also, more than a dozen counties conducted a hand-to-eye audit of all mail-in absentee ballots.

Of the 200 voting groups audited, only 13 audits found any difference between the machine count and the human count, and all discrepancies were three votes or fewer. Most differences were attributed to human error, such as a voter marking outside of the bubble, or to human error during the hand count itself.

“We are glad to see that no significant issues were found during the audit,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “This successful audit is a testament to our elections officials and to the elections equipment used throughout the state. North Carolinians can be confident that their votes count.”

The State Board of Elections office conducts a series of post-election audits and investigations, where necessary, to ensure the integrity of election results. For more information on election security and audits, visit Post-Election Procedures and Audits.

The State Board will certify statewide results for most federal, statewide, multi-district and judicial contests during the state canvass at 11 a.m. Tuesday, November 24. Results in each contest are not considered official until certified by the State Board.

After state canvass, the board of elections with jurisdiction over each contest will issue a certificate of election to the prevailing candidate.

NC Coop Extension

Register Now: ‘Backyard Ag’ Online Series for New Farmers

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-Information courtesy Paul McKenzie, Agricultural Extension Agent, NC Cooperative Extension

Living on a small farm is a dream shared by many, but the reality can be overwhelming. Those new to farming face the daunting tasks of building infrastructure, figuring out what to grow, negotiating tax and regulatory issues, estimating costs and much more.

Fortunately, N.C. Cooperative Extension has a seven-part online class that will put you on the path to success. This class series, called Backyard Ag: Taking it to the Next Level, is brought to you by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Centers of Person, Granville, Vance and Warren counties.

Class participants will learn about options for small acreages, government assistance programs, business planning, marketing, equipment basics and much more.

The series will begin on Wednesday, December 2, 2020, at 1 p.m. The class will continue on alternate Wednesdays through February 24, 2021. Each class will be held on the Zoom video conference platform, which can be accessed from any internet-connected computer, tablet or smartphone.

Presenters will include local Ag Extension Agents, as well as representatives from other ag-related agencies. Registration is required and can be completed online at http://go.ncsu.edu/backyardag201.

Warren Co. Flag

One Additional Death Reported; Increase in Spread of COVID-19 in Warren County

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-Press Release, Warren County Government

Warren County public health officials reported the latest fatality due to COVID-19 yesterday. The fatality was a 75-year-old resident. This brings the COVID-related death toll in the county to eight individuals.

At the time of this press release, the Warren County Health Department reports 558 positive cases of COVID-19 with 466 recovered cases and two individuals in the hospital. The Health Department is following 88 active cases as of 5 p.m. on November 17.

“Like other counties within the region and across the state, Warren County continues to see increases in new cases,” stated Dr. Margaret Brake, health director. “The percent of positive tests has increased from 2.5% in mid-September to 7.3%.”

On November 17, NC Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) launched the COVID-19 County Alert System to inform counties of their level of transmission of COVID-19 statewide. The system uses three metrics (case rate, percent of tests that are positive and hospital impact on a county) to place counties into three tiers: Yellow- Significant Community Spread; Orange-Substantial Community Spread: Red-Critical Community Spread.

According to NC DHHS officials, the system will update during the second week of the month.

Warren County is in the Orange Tier for the period of November 1, 2020 – November 14, 2020. Counties in the Orange Tier must have had at least 21 new cases in 14 days and also meet one of the following metrics: 8-10% positive cases or has a moderate impact on county hospital(s).

Warren County has 299 new cases per 100,000 population within the two-week period. This equals to 29.9 new cases per 10,000 people. Warren County cases have a moderate hospital impact. Brake shared that since Warren County does not have a hospital, the Warren County score for this metric is based on where the highest percentage of the county’s inpatient hospital admissions occurred.

The state has created a menu of actions that counties can take to slow the spread of COVID by individuals, businesses, and community organizations and public officials.

For county residents, some recommendations include wearing a mask at all times when you are not at home and maintaining physical distance from people who do not live with you; limiting the mixing of people who do not live in your household; avoiding settings where people congregate and large gatherings/celebrations; adhering to the no more than 10 people indoors for events.

Individuals who are at high risk for developing serious illness should consider staying home as much as possible and only going out for work, medical appointments or other business.

Other recommendations are that community and religious organizations should avoid any in-person indoor meetings, events, worship services, or other gatherings above the indoor mass gathering limit of 10 people.

For individuals who are caregivers, please take care to wear a mask and wash your hands when checking in on elderly parents or family members so that you do not spread the virus to them. If you are sick, please have someone else to check on your loved one.

All businesses are strongly encouraged to implement teleworking if feasible and cancel any non-essential travel. Businesses can also share messages about the importance of wearing a mask and practicing the 3Ws; post signs about the 3Ws at entrances in accordance with the executive order; provide face coverings to employees and patrons and support employees to stay home when they are sick.

Anyone who is sick or thinks he/she may have been exposed to COVID-19 should get tested for COVID-19.

For more information, please contact Public Health Director Dr. Margaret Brake at (252) 257-1185.

Granville Fall Clean Out

Reminder: Granville’s Drive-Through ‘Fall Clean Out’ Disposal Event This Weekend

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Press Release, Granville County Government

On November 21, 2020, residents of Granville County can bring recyclable and hazardous household items to the Expo and Convention Center in Oxford as the annual “Fall Clean Out” is held from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Due to statewide health requirements, this year’s event will be a drive-through, with assistance provided at each designated station.

On-site to collect items for recycling and safe disposal will be the following vendors:

  • Veolia – will be collecting paint, paint-related materials, household cleaners, old gasoline, drain cleaners, fluorescent light tubes and other hazardous household materials;
  • N.C. Department of Agriculture – will be accepting pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, weed killers, etc.;
  • Shred Ace – will be providing on-site document shredding;
  • Interstate Batteries – will be collecting car batteries, motorcycle/boat batteries, lithium/lithium-ion batteries, hearing aid and watch batteries, etc.; and
  • Granville County Sheriff’s Office – will be collecting medications, inhalers, sharps, diabetic supplies, ammunition, flares and fireworks.

In addition, scrap metal such as junk lawnmowers, broken appliances, bicycles and metal furniture will be accepted, as well as electronics (computers, televisions, laptops, printers, etc.) for recycling.

The Granville County Humane Society will also be on-site to accept donations of pet supplies, dog and cat food, leashes, collars, crates, pet beds, kitty litter and towels.

Last year’s event resulted in the collection of 6,200 pounds of paint, more than 700 pounds of pesticides/fungicides/herbicides, 3,100 pounds of electronics, 3,000 pounds of scrap metal, 5,000 pounds of shredded paper, 2,900 pounds of household chemicals and many more household items.

“We appreciate everyone’s efforts in keeping these harmful items out of the community and the environment,” said Teresa Baker, Granville County Recycling and Sustainability Coordinator.

For more details, contact Baker at (919) 725-1417 or at bakertd@gcs.k12.nc.us.