COVID-19 Positive Case #21 for Avery County

TOE RIVER HEALTH DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE

Ledger, NC (July3, 2020). Toe River Health District, Yancey, Mitchell and Avery Counties, were notified today, Avery County had one more test positive and now has 21 positive cases, 6 have recovered and 15 active. Yancey County had zero new positives today which keeps them at 46 positive cases, 41 have recovered and 5 are active. Mitchell County did not have any new positives today so they remain at 46 positive cases, 22 have recovered and 24 are active. The new positive case in Avery County is connected to a previously reported positive case.

Public health staff has completed the investigation and they have contacted close contacts to contain the spread of disease. To protect individual privacy, no further information about the cases will be released.

The Yancey, Mitchell and Avery County Health Departments will keep the public informed by announcing any additional cases that may arise through our local media partners.

Coronavirus symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste, loss of smell, diarrhea, nausea, headache, sore throat, and body aches. If you experience these symptoms, please call your healthcare provider and follow their advice. If you are having a medical emergency, call 9-1-1 and inform the dispatcher that you have symptoms of COVID-19. Remember that 80% of coronavirus cases generate only mild symptoms.

Because COVID-19 is most commonly spread through respiratory droplets, the Health Department urges everyone to take precautions to protect themselves from the spread of all respiratory illness, including flu and COVID-19:

  • Stay home as much as possible
  • Especially stay home when sick
  • Practice social distancing (at least 6 feet)
  • Wear a mask when out in public
  • Avoid contact with persons that you know are sick
  • Cover your cough (cough into the crook of your elbow; or use a tissue and throw in trash)
  • Practice 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)
  • If you do not have access to soap and water use hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol
  • Routinely 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.

It is important to make sure the information you are getting about COVID-19 is coming directly from reliable sources like the CDC, NCDHHS and Yancey, Mitchell and Avery County Health Departments. For more information, call the North Carolina Coronavirus Hotline at 1-866-462-3821 (staffed by nurses and pharmacists 24/7)