Macon County Health Department just released at 10:40 AM.
For Immediate Release: March 16, 2020
A New York resident that tested positive for COVID – 19 is being monitored and following isolation orders in Macon County. The test, conducted by the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health, is presumptively positive and will be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The patient is doing well and is in isolation. The patient is a resident of New York State and traveled to Buncombe County, where they became ill and were tested, and then traveled to Macon County. Since cases are reported under the state of residency, this case will be identified as a New York State case, not a North Carolina case. Therefore, this case will not show up on the North Carolina maps as a Macon County case. While awaiting confirmation of results from the CDC, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and Macon County Public Health will treat presumptive cases as positive and follow CDC guidelines to protect public health and limit the spread of infection. The Macon County and Buncombe County Health Departments are working to identify close contacts. The CDC defines close contact as being within approximately 6 feet of a person with infection with COVID-19 case for a prolonged period of time of 10 minutes or longer. Based on the information provided by the individual, County health officials will assess risks of exposure, determine which if any additional measures are needed such as temperature and symptom checks, quarantine and/or testing. Because COVID-19 is most commonly spread through respiratory droplets, North Carolinians should take the same measures that health care providers recommend preventing the spread of the flu and other viruses, including washing your hands, avoiding touching your face, staying home if you are sick and covering coughs and sneezes with your elbow.
It is important to make sure the information you are getting about COVID-19 is coming directly from reliable sources like Macon County Public Health, CDC, and NCDHHS. For more information, please visit the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus and NCDHHS’ website at www.ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus, which will also include future positive COVID-19 test results in North Carolina. Macon County Public Health regularly updates our Facebook page with accurate and current information regarding COVID-19, we encourage the public to check our Facebook page for up-to-date information.
Symptoms for COVID-19 are fever, cough, and other lower respiratory illnesses (shortness of breath). If you believe that you may have COVID-19, please call the Health Department at 828-349-2517. The call center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00am – 5:00pm, until further notice.
