Brunswick County issued the following announcement on July 1.
Brunswick County Health Services is reporting the death of another county resident associated to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The individual was a resident at the Universal Health Care of Brunswick congregate living facility who received a positive test result for COVID-19. The patient was considered a person at high risk for severe illness as they were over the age of 65 and had underlying medical conditions. To protect the family’s privacy, no further information about this patient will be released.
This individual is the sixth Brunswick County resident and second resident at this congregate care facility to pass away with a death related to the virus. Health Services reported on the passing of the first facility resident this past Saturday, June 27.
“It is with a heavy heart that we received this news today, and this individual’s family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers,” Chairman Frank Williams said.
As of Tuesday, June 30, there are now 22 residents and 14 employees at Universal Health Care of Brunswick who have received positive test results for COVID-19. These totals reflect the previously reported cases from June 13, June 17 and June 23* including the two deaths.
“We were saddened to hear that another positive resident at the facility had passed away so suddenly, and we extend our sympathies to those affected by this loss,” Health Services Director Cris Harrelson said. “We urge all our residents to continue to take this virus seriously, as our cases continue to grow among individuals of all ages or health backgrounds. We appreciate the efforts so many have taken to protect the most vulnerable in our communities and support our health care workers, but our work is far from done yet and we need everyone to take the initiative to help slow the spread.”
Health Services conducts daily check-ins and regular conference calls with the Universal Health Care team to assess the situation and the actions taken to help the patients. Since June 23, Universal Health Care identified two more residents and three more employees through a third round of testing.
The facility is continuing to proactively test residents and staff that have tested negative in previous rounds to contain further spread as well as possible. Health Services and NCDHHS are also supporting Universal with any staffing needs.
Positive facility residents are isolating in rooms in a dedicated section of the building and have staff members who only serve these individuals. Per NCDHHS guidance, all employees are wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE) including face coverings while at work and all residents are wearing face coverings when leaving their rooms.
No further information concerning the facility’s employees or residents will be shared.
Health Services will provide another update should it identify additional positive cases at the facility in the future.
People can take simple actions each day to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, particularly through asymptomatic spread. Everyone is urged to follow the three Ws when visiting any public area to best protect one another. These efforts work best when they are all practiced together by as many people as possible:
- Wear a cloth face covering when in public (Make sure both your nose and mouth are fully covered and you are able to breathe normally while wearing it.)
- Wait six feet apart to avoid close contact and maintain appropriate social distancing between yourself and others
- Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer while also following other best hygiene practices
In the past six days, Health Services has identified nearly 130 more residents who received positive COVID-19 test results, surpassing the 500 case count mark by the end of June. More positive cases are expected to be identified in the coming weeks due to the observed increase in activity at public places and laxed behavior to social distance during get-togethers with family and friends from other households, in addition to the expected travel and activity that occurs during the Independence Day weekend.
As of Wednesday, July 1, six county residents have had deaths related to the virus. Health Services reported the first resident to pass away April 3, the second resident April 15, the third resident June 1, the fourth resident June 27, and the fifth resident June 29.
Two non-residents who tested positive while visiting the county have also had deaths associated to the virus; the first non-resident passed away April 10 and the second non-resident passed away April 21. Both of these cases were unrelated to each other. Neither of the two non-resident cases are included in the County’s official case count due to reporting rules, however Health Services provides information on non-resident cases it receives for transparency.
BRUNSWICK COUNTY CASE DATA
As of July 1, there are 530 positive cases of COVID-19 among county residents (296 considered recovered, 218 isolating at 186 different homes, 10 hospitalized, 6 deaths) and 13 cases among non-residents (2 isolating in the county, 6 considered recovered, 3 transferred monitoring to home county, 2 deaths).
Brunswick County updates its case counts on its website daily. Find the latest information on case counts (including demographic data) on our Latest Information on Coronavirus webpage.
Isolated positive cases pose a low risk to the public as they and any household contacts are isolated or quarantined. To protect individual privacy, no further information will be released.
Brunswick County has more information about testing, screening sites, and symptoms on its website, including testing sites for both insured and uninsured individuals. These new online tools are also available to help increase access to testing:
- Check My Symptoms is a public website that allows people to enter their symptoms to determine if they should consider getting tested for COVID-19. If a test is recommended, they will receive a link to a list of nearby testing sites via email or text.
- Find My Testing Place is a public website that allows people to enter their county or ZIP code and access a list of nearby testing site locations online.
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*Note: The June 23 update misreported that 19 residents at the facility had received positive test results during a second round of testing, however the actual total was 20. This additional individual has isolated in the dedicated wing for positive residents since their test result was received.
For media inquiries, contact the Public Information Officer at 910.253.2995 or email meagan.kascsak@brunswickcountync.gov
- Residents can find the latest information from the County concerning COVID-19 at http://brunswickcountync.gov/news
- Individuals can also follow the County’s social media and sign up for emails on emergency updates at http://brunswickcountync.gov/info/email/
- Brunswick County Public Health Call Line and Email (Available Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.): 910.253.2339 / coronavirus@brunswickcountync.gov
- NC Public Health Call Line (Open 24/7): 866.462.3821
- North Carolina 2-1-1 Program: For COVID-19 questions, dial 2-1-1 or 888-892-1162 / Sign up for updates by texting COVIDNC to 898211
- Community Care of North Carolina’s COVID-19 Triage Plus (Available 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily): 1.877.490.6642
- Information on free mental health call lines
Brunswick County is urging individuals to visit our website and to call or email county departments for assistance first before visiting county offices. The County now requires appointments for in-person visits. Not sure who to contact? Call our main line and we can help direct your calls.
- Main County Contact Information: 910.253.2000 / 800.442.7033
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