In planning phase in preparation for addition of Adults 65 and Over
BURLINGTON – In light of the current vaccine supply, Alamance County Health Department will continue its current operations of vaccinating adults age 75 and older. Following guidance from NC DHHS, the Health Department will continue in the planning process in preparation for adding individuals age 65 and older to its vaccination rollout. In the coming weeks, as more vaccine becomes available, the Health Department will begin accepting appointments from persons age 65 and older. Until further notice, we will only be accepting appointments for people 75 and older, and those first responders and healthcare workers that have not yet been vaccinated.
Alamance County Health Department will reevaluate this decision on a weekly basis, starting Friday, January 22, and will continue each Friday thereafter as the Health Department’s weekly vaccine allocation is released by NC DHHS.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment Line will reopen on January 19 at 08:30am to schedule appointments for January 20 until all appointments are filled. The Health Department fills appointments based on its current vaccine supply. Appointments are only being made for first responders and healthcare workers, and adults 75 and older at this time.
The public will be informed of changes and appointment options through the Health Department website, social media, and the local news media.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Alamance County Board of Commissioners’ Regular Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. in the County Commissioners’ Meeting Room located on the 2nd floor of the County Office Building, 124 West Elm Street, Graham, NC 27253.
The health and safety of its residents continues to be the highest priority of Alamance County. Under the Governor’s Executive Order 141 Section 7, governmental operations are exempt from the prohibition on Mass Gatherings. In recognition of the Governor’s Recommendations to Promote Social Distancing and Reduce Transmission, there will be limited seating available. Seating will be limited to 20 members of the public. In order to ensure the health and safety of the Board, staff and general public, access to the regular meeting is available in the following 3 ways:
There will also be a link on the county home page (https://www.alamance-nc.com) above the banner that will say “Click Here to watch Live Commissioners Meeting”
A public comment form will be available on the Alamance County website on January 17th from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for any persons wishing to submit written comments prior to the start of the meeting. These written comments will be read at the January 19th Regular Meeting.; or
Persons wishing to participate in public comments by telephone should call 336-290-8677 at 7:00 p.m. on the evening of the meeting. Please be patient and stay on the line as your call will be answered in the order it was received. Please know that your time to give comments to the Board will be limited to no more than three minutes. The entire public comment time period will be no more than 30 minutes total, so if there are many callers you may not be able to comment at this meeting. If you are watching the county commissioner meeting live on another device you may have to mute that device during the public comments period to avoid feedback.
All County policies regarding the 3-minute limit per comment and number of public comments in the 30-minute period will apply. A copy of this Notice shall be posted on the bulletin board located outside of the Commissioners’ Meeting Room on the 2nd Floor of the County Office Building. A copy of the Notice shall be sent to all parties who have requested and receives notification of any changes in the Commissioners’ Regular Meeting schedule.
BURLINGTON – On January 11, the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health in Raleigh confirmed Alamance County’s first case of rabies for the year.
On January 7, Alamance County Animal Control was notified of a skunk that bit a dog on Fernway Drive. Alamance County Animal Control sent the skunk to the North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health for rabies testing and the skunk was positive for rabies. Because the dog was not up-to-date on vaccinations, it was initially quarantined; it has since been euthanized. The Health Department did not identify any human exposure to the skunk.
If you live in this area and have outside pets, the Health Department encourages you to examine them for any wounds that may have come from contact with this dog and notify Alamance County Animal Control, 336-570-6302, or the Health Department’s Environmental Health office at (336) 570-6367 if you have questions or concerns.
It is North Carolina law that cats and dogs be vaccinated against rabies. The first vaccination should occur when the dog or cat is no more than 4 months of age; the second vaccination is required no more than a year later and then again every three years.
If you are bitten by any animal:
Wash the wound with soap and running water for ten (10) minutes and seek medical attention immediately.
Write down the location of the animal and a description of the animal to provide to animal control. If the animal is someone’s pet, also get the owner’s name and address. Give this information to animal control or the health department.
Do not try to catch any wild or stray animal
Last year, Alamance County had three confirmed animal cases of rabies.
For more information or questions about rabies control and vaccinations requirements, contact the Health Department’s Environmental Health office at (336) 570-6367.
Alamance County Health Department is currently offering COVID-19 vaccinations to persons in Phase 1b, Group 1- Adults age 75 and over, by appointment only. Beginning Wednesday, January 13, multi-day appointments can be made for Thursday, January 14 through Tuesday, January 19. Callers will be assigned a specific day and time. Interested persons should call 336-290-0650 to make an appointment. The COVID-19 vaccine appointment line is open Monday through Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm or until all appointment slots are full.
Expect high call volumes and wait times. Please exercise patience.
BURLINGTON – Alamance County Health Department has identified a COVID-19 cluster at Positive Attitudes Youth Center (PAYC) in Burlington, and Southern Alamance High School in Graham. Currently, eight (8) cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among six (6) children and two (2) staff at PAYC. At Southern Alamance, six (6) cases have been confirmed among three (3) children and three (3) staff. The cases will be included on the biweekly Child Care and School Settings report for NC DHHS. NC DHHS defines a cluster as minimum of five laboratory-confirmed cases with illness onsets or initial positive results within a 14-day period and plausible epidemiologic linkage between cases.
A COVID-19 outbreak has been identified at Brookdale Senior Living-Memory Care in Burlington. Currently, fifteen (15) cases have been confirmed among thirteen (13) residents and two (2) staff. NC DHHS defines an outbreak as two laboratory-confirmed cases in a period of 28 days within a congregate living or long-term care facility. Regular testing is required through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in order to provide surveillance as protective factor for both staff and residents.
“We very much appreciate our close partnership with the Alamance County Health Department and rely on their professional expertise and guidance for the health and safety of our students and staff,” stated Superintendent Bruce Benson. “We have notified staff and families of our students about the cluster announcement per our established protocols and continue to reinforce the extensive health and safety protocols we have in place. The areas of the school buildings where the identified individuals were present have already undergone a systematic cleaning and disinfection ensuring that our operations at the schools can continue.”
Heather Hunter, Communications Manager with Brookdale Senior Living stated, “Brookdale’s top priority is the health and safety of our residents, patients, and associates. We have informed residents, their family members, and associates of Brookdale Burlington Memory Care of this matter. We are diligently monitoring our residents and associates for signs and symptoms, and we continue to work directly with local health officials to help ensure our residents and associates have the appropriate and necessary medical support. We will continue to follow the guidance of the health departments throughout this situation. Additionally, we have been closely following our established policies and procedures for contagious illnesses and are also closely following the guidance and protocols recommended by the local and state health departments and the CDC.”
Alamance County Health Department identified its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on March 20. Since then, a total of 12,644 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the community. Of those confirmed cases, 10,911 have been released from isolation and 1553 remain active and in isolation. Included in those active cases, 79 individuals are receiving care at a hospital. Sadly, there have been 180 COVID-19 related deaths. COVID-related deaths include only patients who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, and who died without fully recovering from the disease.
COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise in Alamance and surrounding counties. Currently, the number of active COVID-19 cases are at an all-time high. It is important to take steps to reduce your risks of contracting COVID-19, specifically wearing a face covering, maintaining physical distance and avoiding crowds, and washing your hands and cleaning commonly used surfaces regularly. These steps are imperative to control the spread of COVID-19. The health of you, your loved ones, and the community are what matters.
The Alamance County Health Department will begin taking appointments for those in Phase1b, Group 1 – Adults 75 and over and any first responders and healthcare workers that were unable to get vaccinated during Phase 1a. Due to the overwhelming demand for the COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 75 and older, the Health Department has revised the vaccination process. Starting Friday, January 8, 2021, at 1:00 p.m., the County will open a COVID-19 Vaccine Registration Hotline. Going forward all takers will be available Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at 336-290-0650 to schedule vaccine appointments.
Only those adults 75 or older along with first responders and health care workers with appointments will be vaccinated at this time. Vaccines will no longer be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Vaccinations are administered at the Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC) located at 2550 Buckingham Road in Burlington.
As a reminder the Health Department will not be administering vaccines tomorrow, Friday, January 8, 2021, at the Career and Technical Education Center due to forecasted hazardous weather conditions.
The Health Department and Alamance County Government asks for patience as everyone is working extremely hard to streamline this process. Updated vaccination information will be available at www.alamance-nc.com.
NOTICE is hereby given that the Alamance County Board of Commissioners will meet with the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education and the Local Legislators on Monday, January 11, 2021 at 8:30am via Zoom meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss mutual concerns. In order to ensure the health and safety of both Boards, Local Legislators, staff and the general public, access to the regular meeting is available in the following 3 ways:
There will also be a link on the county home page (https://www.alamance-nc.com) above the banner that will say “Click Here to watch Live Joint Commissioners’ Meeting”
The Alamance County Health Department will not be administering vaccines tomorrow, Friday, January 8, 2020, at the Career and Technical Education Center due to forecasted hazardous weather conditions.
Please be reminded that vaccines are only provided for Phase 1b, Group 1 – Adults 75 and over and any first responders and healthcare workers that were unable to get vaccinated during Phase 1a at this time.
County Government and local agencies are working hard to streamline the vaccination process, and we ask that you exercise patience. Updated vaccination information will be available at www.alamance-nc.com.
Due to Covid-19 related staffing issues, both Alamance County remote Recycling Centers will close effective Wednesday, January 6th. The two recycling centers, located at Pleasant Grove Recreation Center and at 3479 Danieley Waterwheel Road, both in Burlington, will be closed until further notice.
The Recycling Center located at the Alamance County Landfill, 2701 Austin Quarter Road, Graham, will remain open. The Graham location accepts corrugated cardboard, newspaper, plastic bottles, aluminum & steel cans, mixed paper and glass bottles & jars at no charge.
For more information about Alamance County Landfill services and operations, visit www.alamance-nc.com/landfill or call us at 336-376-8902.
Due to a positive Covid-19 test result amongst staff, the North Park Library will be closed until further notice. While building cleaning is underway, the branch will remain closed out of an abundance of caution. Alamance County Health Department was notified of the possible COVID-19 case(s) at North Park Library and is currently in the process of investigating the findings. The Health Department will continue to work with Alamance County Public Libraries, and North Park Library specifically, to offer testing and contact tracing guidance.
Public Wi-Fi will remain available from outside the library building and book drops will remain open.
Operations at the May Memorial, Mebane and Graham branches remains unaffected. For more information about ACPL services and operations, visit www.alamancelibraries.org and follow us on Facebook (AlamanceLibraries), Twitter (ACLibraries), Instagram (alamancelibraries), and YouTube (Alamance County Public Libraries).