Northern records first 2 COVID-19 cases

Mount Airy’s Northern Regional Hospital has recorded its first two cases of COVID-19, and countywide the number of confirmed cases has jumped to 10.

Ashly Lancaster, director of marketing for the hospital, said Monday evening the hospital had received its first two positive test results over the weekend.

Tuesday morning, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services showed 10 confirmed cases in Surry County, up from the three listed in its daily update Monday. The state health department does not list any information about the individual cases, and the Surry County Health and Nutrition Center does not release to the public how many cases of COVID-19 infection it has confirmed locally, nor any information about those cases.

“At this time, we are working with officials from local public health departments, who will identify and contact all others who may have been in contact with the patient(s),” Lancaster said in a written statement regarding the two positive test results at Northern. Lancaster said she could not comment on whether the two cases at the hospital were Surry County residents, though it would appear if the hospital is contacting more than one health department, at least one of the patients may not be a Surry County resident.

She did clarify that regardless of where the positive test results are received, the case is reported to the health department in the patient’s home county.

In neighboring Stokes County, Tuesday’s total showed 8 confirmed cases, though it was not clear if that represented an increase from Monday. Carroll County, Virginia, showed 2 cases on Tuesday, up from 1 the day before, and Patrick County, Virginia, still shows no confirmed cases.

Other neighboring county figures include: Yadkin County with 9 cases; Wilkes County with 4 cases, including 1 death; Alleghany County with 2 cases; and Forsyth County with 105 cases (fifth highest in the state) and 2 deaths.

Locally, Lancaster said the affected patients are no longer in the hospital.

Statewide, as of the 10:15 a.m. report Tuesday, 3,221 cases had been confirmed, with 46 deaths and 354 individuals currently hospitalized. All totaled 41,082 individuals have been tested, though it is not clear how many of those test results have come back from labs and how many are still outstanding. Locally, officials have said test results are taking 7 to 10 days to return from labs.

The hardest-hit county is Mecklenburg, which includes the city of Charlotte. Roughly a quarter of the state’s cases — 810 as of Tuesday morning — are in Mecklenburg County, along with six of the state’s 46 deaths.

Cases had been confirmed in 90 of the state’s 100 counties.

In Virginia, the case total as of Tuesday morning stood at 3,333 confirmed cases out of 28,645 tested, with 63 deaths. The vast majority of Virginia cases are in Northern Virginia and the eastern third of the state.

Information on the Surry County Health and Nutrition Center Facebook page is reminding the public to continue to practice safety precautions issued from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Wash hands for at least 20 seconds;

• Clean and then disinfect frequently used surfaces;

• Stay home if sick;

• Avoid touching one’s face.

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