North Carolina coronavirus cases rise over 300; Wake announces measures to slow spread

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 255 positive tests for the novel coronavirus in the state Sunday morning, up from the 184 reported on Saturday.

A News & Observer tally that includes reports from individual counties shows there are at least 307 known cases statewide as of Sunday evening. That figure differs from the DHHS number because It can take 24 to 48 hours for the cases reported by individual counties to be included in the state figures. Mecklenburg, Durham and Wake counties continue to have the highest number of reported cases.

The state also has conducted 6,438 tests for coronavirus, up from 5,276 Saturday.

In Wake County, officials held a press conference Sunday afternoon to announce further measures to slow the spread of the virus. County officials declared a heightened state of emergency, limited crowd size, closed some public spaces and urged businesses to screen workers for high temperatures. Wake County currently has the second-highest number of reported cases in the state with 52.

Towns including Cary and Morrisville had already declared an emergency state, but the Board of Commissioners’ Sunday declaration makes it uniform across Wake County.

NC cases continue to rise with ‘community spread’

Carteret County announced Sunday that one of its five reported cases is due to community spread, meaning it is without a known source of contact.

The individual has not traveled to a high-risk areas or been in contact with a confirmed case, according to the county officials. After completing contact investigations, Carteret County Health Department officials said they determined there is no threat to the public’s health and safety based on these five cases.

Community spread is happening across the state, Carteret County Public Health Director Stephanie Cannon said in a statement on the county Facebook page. At least three other patients in North Carolina have contracted the virus through community spread. One was reported in Wilson County and two in Mecklenburg County.

“Our message to the public remains the same: remain home as much as possible to limit the interactions you may have with others; stay home if you are sick; practice preventive measures to keep you and your family healthy; and, practice social distancing when carrying out essential tasks like grocery shopping and going to work,” Cannon said.

By Sunday afternoon, the number of reported cases statewide had more than doubled from Friday morning’s count.

One of the reported cases in Wake County is an individual at Sunrise of Raleigh, a senior living community.

“We are working vigorously to address the potential spread of the virus, and have taken many steps to reinforce and expand our evidenced-based infection control procedures,” Michelle Minor, regional vice president of operations, said in a statement.

Sunrise has largely prohibited visitors, except in “end-of-life” cases. Families can still connect with residents over the phone and virtually.

All residents were moved to their suites and asked to stay there, according to Minor. They’ve also started serving meals in residents’ rooms instead of the dining room, Minor said, and have replaced group activities with one-on-one activities such as virtual museum tours.

Davie County saw its first reported case Sunday and Nash County reported its first case late Saturday. Health officials in Nashville said the patient is recovering in isolation at home.

Fort Bragg reported a new case on Saturday, bringing the Army post’s total to four. The patient in the new case at Fort Bragg is in their mid-20s, had recently traveled out of state and is a dependent of an active-duty service member.

UNC-Chapel Hill confirmed at least two reported cases at the university, including an employee.

The university can’t track the total number of cases connected to campus, according to university spokeswoman Joanne Peters-Denny. She said students or employees may choose to use an outside provider to get tested so UNC-CH wouldn’t know about those cases.

UNC-CH reports cases tested at Campus Health to the county that the person lives in and those get reported as part of the county totals, which were the circumstances for the cases UNC-CH announced Saturday.

UNC-Wilmington announced Saturday two students tested positive for coronavirus. One traveled over spring break and another was studying abroad. Elon University reported a student who contracted COVID-19 after traveling to Europe. The student came home to the U.S. without returning to campus.

As the number of cases and tests continue to grow, UNC Health and WakeMed are asking individuals and companies for donations of personal protective equipment and medical supplies for healthcare workers and patients.

“At this critical time, we are calling on our community to donate supplies that will help ensure we can continue to protect our patients, providers, and staff,” Dr. Wesley Burks, CEO of UNC Health, said in a statement. “This situation is unprecedented, and we are asking for extra help.”

Each facility has different needs, but the two systems are accepting surgical masks, safety goggles, gloves, disinfectant, hand sanitizer and other essential medical supplies. There are drop-off locations across the Triangle in Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill and Morrisville.

Prevention measures coming across the state Monday

The National Forests in North Carolina will close all campgrounds starting Monday, March 23, until at least May 15, the U.S. Forest Service announced Sunday. That includes dozens of campsites in the Pisgah National Forest, Nantahala National Forest and others. Visitors who have made a reservation will be notified and receive a full refund.

The roads and trails will remain open, but some trailhead facilities, like restrooms, may be closed, according to the Facebook post.

On Saturday night, Raleigh announced it is closing all city park playgrounds and park restrooms starting Monday. Open spaces and trails will remain open. The parks department urged users to follow social distancing guidelines and stay at least six feet apart from other people.

Amtrak announced it will operate its trains on a scaled-back schedule starting Monday, including the Raleigh-to-Charlotte train, the N&O reported.

Durham officials announced Saturday they planned to close most county offices starting Monday, partly because of coronavirus but also because of a cyber malware attack earlier this month.

GoDurham announced all buses will be free to ride starting Monday. Riders are asked to enter through the rear doors to support social distancing and reduce contact in an effort to limit coronavirus risks. GoDurham ACCESS rides also will be free.

On Saturday, Duke Health, UNC Health and WakeMed announced that they would limit visitors starting Monday.

For UNC, no visitors will be allowed at inpatient areas at UNC Medical Center, UNC REX, Chatham Hospital, UNC Hillsborough and Johnston Health. The exceptions are one visitor for: a pediatric patient, partner of a laboring mother, Emergency Department companion, outpatient area companion, in-person discharge instructions and 24 hours following a surgery or invasive procedure.

For Duke, starting Monday, no visitors will be allowed into Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital and Duke Raleigh Hospital until further notice. The exceptions are: patients nearing end of life or on hospice, patients who are children (one visitor), patients in the labor and delivery unit (one visitor), and patients being discharged from the hospital (one visitor). Patients and visitors who meet the exceptions will be screened before they can enter the Duke Health facilities.

All WakeMed facilities will also limit visitors starting Monday. Exceptions are for the following circumstances, and all for just one support person or visitor: pediatric patients, partner or doula of a laboring or postpartum mother, Emergency Department patients, outpatient/physician practice locations (though patients are strongly encouraged to come alone if they are able), when in-person discharge instructions are being given and 24 hours following a surgery or invasive procedure. WakeMed will also make exceptions for end-of-life situations on a case-by-case basis.

Duke also announced that it expanded expanded COVID-19 health insurance coverage for all employees, beginning Monday. Duke added telehealth coverage to employees current health plans, which gives them 24/7 access to an on-call healthcare provider online or via a webcam through Duke Health Anywhere with a $0 copay. Duke also previously expanded coverage to ensure all COVID-19 lab tests were covered 100% by employees’ health plans.

Duke University and all UNC System Universities, including UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University, will begin online or remote instruction on Monday as campuses have cleared out for the rest of the semester.