Haywood County has again ramped up its emergency coordination center in response to a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases.
Since Dec. 8, Haywood County Public Health has received notice of 107 new cases of COVID-19. As of 5 p.m. Dec. 10, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has recorded a total of 1,507 cases in Haywood County since the pandemic began. In the last week, the county has added 221 new cases.
In addition, there were seven deaths attributable to the virus last week, bringing the total to 50. All of the deaths were nursing home residents over the age of 65. Three were residents at Autumn Care. Spicewood Cottages, Silver Bluff, and Maggie Valley Nursing and Rehab all had one resident die from COVID, another died at Haywood Regional Medical Center.
The Neosho County Health Department is adopting a shortened quarantine guideline from the Centers for Disease Control, but not as short as one suggested by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
In a statement, the health department adopted a 10-day CDC and KDHE guideline for people who are symptom-free for 10 days after being in contact with a person who is positive for COVID-19.Â
The department will not adopt a seven-day option from KDHE.
According to CDC, COVID-19 can develop up to 14 days after exposure. The statement from Health Department Administrator Teresa Starr and County Medical Director Dr. Brian Kueser said people still need to self-monitor for symptoms for the entire 14 days to protect themselves and the community. If an individual develops symptoms at any time, the statement says they need to contact their healthcare provider and be tested.