With COVID cases remaining high in the tri-counties, Toe River Health District Director Diane Creek urges locals to do their part to slow the spread.
Getting tested, Creek said, is a critical step to containing COVID. A runny nose, nausea and coughing can easily be written off as minor annoyances but could be COVID.
“Many people who test positive thought they had allergies or a sinus infection,” Creek said.
A significant number of recent positive cases showed no symptoms. During the week of Jan. 10-16, Mitchell had 300 new positives, Yancey had 295 and Avery had 242.
“If you get tested, you can protect the people around you,” Creek added.
Creek continues to tout the 3 W’s: wearing a mask, waiting six feet away from others and washing your hands. Vaccines and boosters are the most critical element, she added.
“The only way we’re going to contain this virus and get back to a normal life is for the majority of the population to be vaccinated,” Creek said. “This virus is new to us, so none of us have any immunity if we haven’t had COVID-19. The vaccines help build up our immunity.”
Creek acknowledged that the science shows that the vaccines lose effectiveness over time. Thus, boosters are needed.
Anyone who got two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine should get a booster five months after that second dose. Those who received the Johnson and Johnson single shot should get boosted two months after the first dose.
“There may be more booster shots in the future,” Creek said. “We are building our immunity to COVID each time we get a shot.”
Guidelines for quarantine have shifted. Now, those who test positive should quarantine for five days, compared to the previous 10, as long as they are fever-free without the
help of medication and symptoms are improving.
Those leaving quarantine should wear a mask for five more days as they may still be shedding the virus. Quarantine for people who test positive but don’t have symptoms is five days with five days of wearing a mask.
Household contacts of someone who tests positive must quarantine for 10 days and wear a mask for an additional five days. Quarantine for someone who is a contact but doesn’t live with the positive person is five days with five days of wearing a mask.
TRHD no longer accepts antibody tests. People can avoid quarantine if they are fully vaccinated (including a booster if applicable) or had a positive COVID case in the past 90 days.
“These changes make isolation and quarantine a much shorter process, allowing people to get back to work quicker as long as they aren’t running a fever and symptoms are improving,” Creek said. “The risk is that someone could get out of quarantine too soon and infect others in the community. That’s why the mask is required for the additional five days.”
Creek said the shorter quarantine times and transmissibility of the omicron variant have changed the game for TRHD.
“Our work is moving very quickly now,” she said. “By the time we are notified about people who test positive, they are sometimes three or four days into their five-day quarantine period.”
Creek encourages people to report their home COVID test results to the TRHD to provide a more accurate picture of the number of cases in the area.
People can order up to four home COVID tests from covidtests.gov. Creek encourages people to do it, even if they aren’t sick, so they have them on hand.
“Soon, there will be more home tests available to the public, so watch our Facebook page and the local media for information,” she added.
People who need or want COVID treatment methods will need to provide a positive test and most providers don’t accept home tests, Creek said.
Patients can get PCR tests at the TRHD testing site at First Baptist Church (124 Tappan St., Spruce Pine) during testing hours. Individuals can also get a PCR test from their medical provider.
To report a home test, send your name, address, phone number, date of birth and testing date to mitchellhd@toeriverhealth.org. A picture of the test is preferred.
For those who can’t email, call 688-2371. That number can also lead to vaccine and testing information. Results must be reported within three days of the test.
“We are experiencing a very high call volume,” Creek said. “If you don’t reach someone at that number, please leave a message.”