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Granville Vance Public Health (GVPH) hosted a “Virtual Town Hall” session live via its Facebook page today at 11 a.m.
GVPH Director Lisa Harrison, GVPH Medical Director Dr. Shauna Guthrie and Oxford Mayor Jackie Sergent addressed the on-going COVID-19 epidemic and answered questions that were submitted by the public.
Questions the government and health officials addressed in the session included:
Q: Is there mapping available that would show COVID-19 cases by location in the county?
A: That is not currently available because the population in Vance and Granville counties does not have a lot of variability in zip code. The numbers aren’t as high as more populated counties such as Mecklenburg or Wake.
Q: Why is GVPH not sharing the number of COVID-19 tests administered on its website?
A: The number of tests administered continues to increase and is hard to capture. One reason is that there are many providers – private practices, hospitals, health departments and groups in primary care – offering the test. Also, the Electronic Disease Surveillance System does not require labs and physicians to enter negative results, only positive.
Harrison reported that while there is not an official number, more than 500 tests have been administered across Vance and Granville counties.
Q: Will GVPH let us know if we’ve been in contact with someone who has tested positive?
A: It depends on the level of contact. Anytime someone tests positive, GVPH receives an alert. They contact the person who tested positive to see who they’ve been in contact with 2-3 days prior to symptoms starting. The biggest concern is those that have been in close contact with the infected person, either by standing closer than six-feet together for an extended period of time and/or being in a small room together.
People who are deemed at-risk are notified and advised to stay home and quarantine for at least 14 days.
Q: Have those who previously tested positive for COVID-19, and have since been lifted from isolation, been retested?
A: No, they have not been retested. GVPH is following the CDC’s guidelines to determine when a person is no longer contagious. The general rule is a person is considered no longer contagious when it has been at least seven days since testing positive and they’ve had no fever for 72 hours and symptoms have greatly improved.
Q: What can we do to make residents take stay at home and social orders seriously?
A: We need to keep emphasizing that the virus can be spread whether a person has symptoms or not; many are asymptomatic. We also need to be less quick to blame others and examine our own behaviors.
Q: Does our community have enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – gowns, masks and gloves?
A: Yes, so far the requests that have been made have been fulfilled. There are also many volunteers in the community providing these supplies and their support is greatly appreciated.
Q: Have residents with COVID-19 at Pelican Health Nursing Home in Henderson been moved to another facility?
A: There are 66 residents and 150 staff (full-time, part-time and contractors) associated with Pelican Health Henderson. All residents and many of the staff were tested within 48 hours of identifying the first positive resident. All the residents who tested positive and are symptomatic have been isolated.
To hear the session in its entirety, including additional Q&A, please watch the video contained in this article, or visit the Granville Vance Public Health Department’s Facebook page (click here).
Click below for TownTalk audio: