BURLINGTON – Alamance County Health Department has identified an outbreak at the skilled nursing facility Peak Resources in Graham. Currently, two cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed at the facility. Both confirmed cases are among the staff. There have been no cases identified in residents at this time. NC DHHS defines an outbreak as two confirmed cases within a facility.

“We remain dedicated to the well-being and safety of our residents and employees,” said Jeff Cochran, Administrator at Peak Resources Alamance. “Protecting the health of those we care for and the community we service remains our highest priority. We are making every effort to ensure we stop the spread of the Coronavirus within our facility. We are extremely proud of our staff members and their rapid and diligent response in handling a very unique and difficult situation.”

Cochran further stated, “Since late January, we have been closely following the guidelines established by the CDC, CMS, NC Department of Health and Human Services, and the NC Division of Public Health. We will remain in active communication with the local and state health officials to ensure we are taking the appropriate steps,” stated Mr. Cochran.

The Health Department will deploy public health staff to the facility on May 13 to collect specimen for testing for all residents at the facility.

Additionally, the health department will deploy public health staff to collect specimen for all facility staff on May 14.

“Peak Resources has been in contact with our staff for several weeks now receiving technical assistance, consulting on guidance, implementing precautions and taking steps to help prevent illness in the facility,” stated Health Director Stacie Saunders. “It is unfortunate that the facility has experienced two cases among its staff. We commend Peak Resources for promptly notifying the health department of risks and proactively working with our health department to collect specimen for testing from asymptomatic residents and staff in order to help prevent further spread.”

Alamance County Health Department identified its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on March 20. Since that time, a total of 183 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the community. Of those confirmed cases, 90 have been released from isolation and 85 remain active and in isolation. Included in the remaining active cases, ten are receiving care at a hospital. Sadly, there have been eight COVID-19 related deaths.

“We continue to see newly confirmed cases in our general population, as well. As collection and testing access increases in our area, we are likely to identify more cases,” states Health Director Stacie Saunders. “It is important to use the precautions like washing your hands, wearing face coverings, and keeping your distance from others in order to protect yourself and also those you care about.”

Media Partners: Questions regarding the facility should be directed to Jeff Cochran at jcochran@peakresourcesinc.com.

NC DHHS will be reporting twice-weekly congregate living facility surveillance reports on their website: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/public-health/covid19/covid-19-nc-case-count#by-congregateliving

BURLINGTON – Alamance County Health Department has identified an outbreak at the skilled nursing facility White Oak Manor. The Alamance County Health Department collected 120 specimen from residents at the facility earlier in the week. Of those collected by the health department, 12 were positive results. In addition, two (2) employees have been confirmed as cases and receiving follow-up in their counties of residence. The Health Department continues to work with White Oak Manor to conduct testing on residents and staff to protect uninfected individuals and ensure current guidance is followed. To protect the privacy of individuals, no further information about the facility will be released.

Alamance County Health Department identified its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on March 20. Since then, there has been a total of 116 confirmed cases of COVID-19 identified in the community. Of those confirmed cases, 52 have been released from isolation and 62 remain active and in isolation. Included in the remaining active cases, four are receiving care at a hospital. Sadly, there have been two COVID-19 related deaths.

“As collection and testing increases in our area, we are likely to identify many more confirmed cases,” states Health Director Stacie Saunders. “It is important to use the precautions like washing your hands and keeping your distance from others. Please only make necessary outings because each interaction you have with another person could be an opportunity for the virus to spread.”

BURLINGTON – Alamance County Health Department received notification of the county’s first death associated with COVID-19. The individual was greater than 65 years old with underlying conditions and receiving care at a hospital. To protect the privacy of the individual and their family, no further information about the individual will be released.

“We are deeply saddened by this news and our hearts are with their precious family who have lost someone they love and cherish. This loss affects our entire community,” said Health Director Stacie Saunders. “It is so important that each of us take steps to protect ourselves and others to prevent the spread of this virus, especially to our most vulnerable populations. We urge the community to continue to practice social distancing and the recommended general precautions in order to protect themselves, their loved ones, and our neighbors.”

The Health Department urges individuals to take the following standard precautions to help protect themselves and others from this respiratory illness:

• Follow the Governor’s Stay at Home guidance and Executive Order that limits gatherings
• Practice social distancing by keeping more space between individuals
• Wash hands frequently with soap and water, and for at least 20 seconds each time
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoid close contact with people who are ill & stay at home if you are sick
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze
• Do not reuse tissue after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose
• Clean and disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched
• Have a plan in place to care for yourself or a sick family member due to illness
• People over 65 or who have chronic health conditions or with compromised immune systems are at highest risk of severe illness from the virus, and should avoid contact with anyone that doesn’t live in the household
• If you must leave home for a necessary outing, the CDC recommends wearing a cloth mask or face covering

Media Partners: Please note the Health Department will not issue future press releases regarding COVID-19 related death notifications. COVID-19 related deaths will be added, beginning tomorrow, to the daily updates provided on our website and Facebook page. Many thanks for your attention.

BURLINGTON – The NC DHHS COVID-19 case count map is reporting an unusually high increase in COVID-19 cases on April 13. This increase is due to a large batch of LabCorp test results with no addresses listed. Because LabCorp is headquartered in Alamance County, when they have positive communicable disease test results with no address listed, the results default to Burlington because of the location of LabCorp and are then reported by default to the Alamance County Health Department. The Health Department has notified partners at Labcorp, they have identified that the results are for another state and are working to reassign those results to the proper jurisdiction. This may take some time. We apologize for any concern or distress this may cause the public.

Alamance County’s current case count this morning is 39. Twenty-one (21) of these confirmed cases have been released from isolation by the Health Department. Of the remaining 18 active cases, 3 are receiving care in a hospital.

Thank you all for your continued support and commitment to protecting yourselves and others. We can’t do this work without you!