Protesters asked to monitor their health

    Murphy – Protestors are asked to stay aware of their symptoms for the next two weeks.
    Cherokee County Health Director David Badger said anyone who feels they were at risk of contracting COVID-19 for participating in any public gathering, like the rally for racial equality that took place downtown Thursday, should contact the health department or their primary care provider for information on the next steps they should take.
    “I think everyone going into it was aware of these risks,” Badger said.
    He added that it’s “perfectly fine” for people to practice their First Amendment rights. People will have to continue to make their choices about risks – whether it’s going to a ballgame or festival – as restrictions continue to be lifted.
    “Those are realities we’re going to have to accept at some point in time,” Badger said.
    Symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure. Because the virus can take five days incubate, testing too early could return a negative test result, Badger said.
    He added that a test is just a “snapshot” of an individual’s condition at that moment. He continued to encourage everyone to get tested, but also emphasized vigilance in monitoring symptoms.
    Anyone who has concerns about a change in symptoms should contact their primary care provider, the health department or urgent care. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and loss of taste or smell. Symptoms range from mild to severe.
    As of Monday, Cherokee County had a total 32 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March. Of those cases, 27 have recovered from the virus, while two are residents of another state. Only one resident has died after testing positive for the virus.
    A new case was reported Monday. The individual was exposed to people with the virus during essential work-related travel outside of the state.
    The state pulls its data directly from multiple labs, and Badger said there’s always the potential of under reporting in that scenario, which is why he has been as open as possible with his reporting of cases locally. The state does have thousands of cases for which it has incomplete demographic data.
    As of Monday, North Carolina had 36,484 positive cases of COVID-19 and 1,006 deaths related to the virus since the beginning of March. More than 23,000 of those cases are presumed to be recovered.
    The state does not take recoveries away from its total cases as it does deaths. More than 520,000 North Carolinians have been tested for the virus.
    Local residents are reminded to continue practicing measures to prevent spreading the virus, like using good hygiene habits, staying home if sick and social distancing. In public places where social distancing is difficult, the CDC recommends wearing a cloth face covering. Close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of another person for 10 minutes or more.