The outbreak of COVID-19 Coronavirus took a big jump in Western North Carolina County of the weekend.
Henderson County is now reporting 50 cases of the virus, 23 of the cases have all come from the same assisted living facility.
On Sunday, the "Cherry Springs Village" sent out a press release detailing the situation.
"FROM: CHERRY SPRINGS VILLAGE DATE:
April 5, 2020
RE: CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) STATEMENT
A number of residents and staff members at Cherry Springs Village in Hendersonville have tested positive for COVID-19. Those individuals are being treated in isolation by health professionals and the community is under quarantine until further notice. Since early February, Cherry Springs Village has adhered to aggressive infection-control policies, in compliance with guidelines set by the CDC and the NC State Health Department. We will continue to work with the local health department in maintaining the health of our community. We appreciate the support of our families and the public at this time."
Henderson County Officials have also released their daily update for Sunday, April 5th, 2020.
"Henderson County Department of Public Health Confirms Additional Cases of COVID-19
Hendersonville, NC (April 5, 2020).On Saturday, April 4, 2020, the Henderson County Department of Public Health received confirmation of 23 positive cases of COVID-19 linked to residents and staff at Cherry Springs Village, an assisted living community in Hendersonville, NC. The additional testing that led to these results was part of a comprehensive public health investigation based on a single confirmed case that was identified on April 1, 2020.
“I want to acknowledge the obvious concerns this will create for residents and their families. It is a very difficult situation for all involved,” said Steve Smith, Henderson County Health Director.Since the identification of these additional cases, the staff and leadership of the facility and all of our public health partners including Pardee Hospital, AdventHealth and Henderson County Emergency Services have been communicating and prioritizing strategies and actions to care for those affected and to reduce the risks for others at the facility. All residents and their families have been notified along with staff.
Because COVID-19 is most commonly spread through respiratory droplets, the Health Department urgeseveryoneto take precautions to protect themselves from the spread of all respiratory illness:
oStay home, and only go out for necessities or exercise, and only have contact with the people you live with.
oAvoid contact with persons that you know are sick
oCover your cough (cough into the crook of your elbow; or use a tissue and throw in trash)
oPractice good hand hygiene (wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially
after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing)oIf you do not have access to soap and water use hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol
oRoutinely clean frequently touched surfaces with household cleaners
Routine use of these measures by everyone will decrease the spread of viruses and respiratory diseases in our community."
Meanwhile in Buncombe County, numbers of COVID-19 cases continue to rise as well.
Buncombe County has 28 cases of the virus, though how many of those are active and how many have recovered is still unknown.
For a complete, county by county listing of COVID-19 cases across the state of North Carolina, click HERE
Helpful Links:
State of North Carolina: www.NC.gov
CDC: cdc.gov
NC Dept. Health and Human Services: www.ncdhhs.gov