Murphy – Last week, the state began to provide guidance on how families could gather to celebrate Thanksgiving and other upcoming holidays as safely as possible.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health & Human Services, advised that family members consider getting a screening test for COVID-19 before traveling or gathering with family members outside of their household.
“We will certainly be happy to test anybody,” Cherokee County Health Director David Badger said. “Just call and make an appointment.”
Appointments may be made at any time, but the earlier is better for selecting appointment times, Badger said. He recommended getting tested either Friday, Nov. 20, or Monday, Nov. 23, as it is taking 2-3 days for test results to return to the health department.
He gave one reminder – a test is only good in that moment in time. In fact, the state told hosts to consider asking guests to avoid contact with anyone outside their household for 14 days before the gathering.
The state’s gathering limits of 25 people indoors (UPDATE: Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday that an executive order going into effect Friday would lower the indoor gathering limit to 10 people) and 50 people outdoors also apply to family gatherings – hosts were advised to plan small, outdoor gatherings with tables for each household placed 6 feet apart. Cohen also reminded people not to attend or host a gathering if feeling ill or have been diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19.
A negative screening test also doesn’t give family members “a free pass” to gather without masks, she said.
“Remember, it’s not how well you know someone when it comes to wearing a mask. If they don’t live with you, get behind the mask,” Cohen said.
Badger said it is really hard to consider these guidelines, but he is also aware holiday gatherings often include our most vulnerable family members, and we don’t always know when we are infected.
“You have got to be careful,” he said. “If you do choose to participate, do it as safely as possible.”
He hopes that with good common sense actions, like being aware of symptoms, staying home if not feeling well, and wearing a mask, the chances of infection can be limited.
“We’ll all get through this together,” he said.
As of Monday afternoon, the county had 30 active cases. Since March, the county has had 829 total cases, including 19 people from other states who tested positive while in the county, and 21 people who passed away after testing positive.
Using data collected from 821 cases, the state reported Monday that 10 percent of the county’s cases were those ages 0-17, 8 percent were ages 18-24, 28 percent were ages 25-49, 25 percent were ages 50-64, 16 percent were ages 65-74 and 13 percent were ages 75 or older.
Anyone who experiences symptoms should contact their primary care provider, the health department or urgent care. COVID-19 symptoms range from mild to severe and may appear 2-14 days after exposure, while flu symptoms appear 1-4 days after exposure.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, both COVID-19 and flu symptoms may include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, muscle aches, headache, diarrhea and nausea or vomiting. COVID-19 symptoms may also include a new loss of taste or smell.
Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms, but older adults and those with underlying medical conditions appear to be at higher risk for severe illness. The CDC said the virus spreads very easily, and risk of spreading the virus increases the closer and longer a person’s interaction with another is.
As of Monday, North Carolina had 294,860 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19.