New Hanover County issued the following announcement on Aug. 12.
Over the past week, 477 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported to New Hanover County Health and Human Services’ Public Health and there are currently 1,026 active cases, continuing the trend of increased viral spread of COVID-19 countywide. The percentage of New Hanover County residents with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine has increased to 57 percent this week, after weeks of slow growth.
“We’re encouraged to see our vaccination rates get a boost over the past two weeks, but the rapid viral spread in our community is a reminder that we still have a long way to go,” said Health and Human Services Director Donna Fayko. “We are nowhere near the number of daily vaccinations that we would like to see. We know that some of our residents have been waiting to get their vaccine, and we’re so pleased that some of them are taking action now to fight COVID-19, but we need more unvaccinated people to step up.”
Over the past week, New Hanover County has implemented a face covering requirement for anyone inside a county facility, regardless of vaccination status; and implemented a vaccine policy for all county employees, requiring vaccine status to be reported, weekly testing for anyone who is unvaccinated, and a requirement for all new hires to be vaccinated.
“We hope the actions taken by the county can serve as a positive and proactive example for others in our community to take the same steps because we are at another critical point in the pandemic where action is necessary,” said Public Health Director David Howard. “Hospitalizations are increasing, and five New Hanover County residents who were all unvaccinated passed away from COVID-19 this week. This has been our biggest concern since the start of the pandemic – stressing our healthcare system and loss of life. We have the tools to prevent this from happening, but we need people using these tools together – masks, social distancing, and most importantly, vaccines – to protect each other and save lives.”
COVID-19 Data in New Hanover County:
- As of August 12, there have been 21,217 total cases of COVID-19 in New Hanover County since the start of the pandemic, including 477 new cases over the last week.
- Of the total number of cases, 20,011 have recovered and 1,026 cases are presumed to still be active. Sadly, 185 people have died from the virus, with five deaths reported in the past week.
- In New Hanover County, approximately 133,192 residents (about 57 percent) have received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and approximately 124,281 residents (about 53 percent) are fully vaccinated and protected from COVID-19.
- Health and Human Services Health Clinic (1650 Greenfield Street)
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Independence Mall (3500 Oleander Drive)
- Tuesday and Thursday, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- A Shot & A Beer: Vaccine Happy Hour at Hi-Wire Brewing (1020 Princess Street)
- Friday, August 20, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Original source can be found here.
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