Community News

ASHEVILLE, NC –  March 13, 2024 – The CDC’s COVID Dashboard for the week ending on March 2^nd shows:  

• Hospital admission levels are low in more than 90% of the counties in North Carolina, including Buncombe County, and high in 0%. They are low in more than 95% of the counties in the U.S. and high in less than 1%. Admissions have decreased in the U.S. and North Carolina and are unchanged in Buncombe County from the previous week.
• About 3% of the deaths in North Carolina were due to COVID, the 3^rd lowest level of 6 groups.
• Emergency room visits for COVID-19 are low in North Carolina. This is about 2% of all ER visits, the 2^nd lowest level of 5 groups

Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID outbreaks. The Buncombe & Henderson counties wastewater data on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard for the week ending on February 28^th shows:

• The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at a red level representing the highest level of 5 groups, currently between the 80^th and 100^th percentile relative to the past level measured at the same site.
• The 15-day rate of change of the number of viral gene copies in each water sample has increased from the previous week, between 1% to 9%, the lowest level of 3 groups for a positive rate of change.

The CDC’s weekly flu surveillance report for the week ending on March 2^nd indicates that North Carolina is at a moderate level.

The CDC reported that the 3-week average for the percent positivity for RSV PCR tests in North Carolina for the week ending on March 2^nd shows that it continues to decrease to below 2% for the past 3 weeks.

The North Carolina Respiratory Virus Summary Dashboard for the week ending on March 2^nd shows that

• The percentage of emergency room visits for people with respiratory virus symptoms has decreased.
• COVID and flu hospital admissions have decreased
• There were more COVID admissions than flu.

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

UNITED STATES – March 10, 2022 – Sunday March 10^th is the time to advance our clocks one hour in accordance with Daylight Saving Time and to upset our natural biologic clock. Daylight is longer in the summer and shorter in the winter the further you are from the equator. During the summer months, daylight may extend to the early morning hours when most people are still sleeping. Moving the clocks forward one hour lets us wake up in the morning when the sun rises and have an extra hour of daylight for outdoor leisure activities after the traditional workday.

Daylight Saving Time begins on the second Sunday in March at 2 am. People lose an hour of sleep during the changeover. Clocks are turned back one hour to Standard Time on the first Sunday in November in the fall. That’s when people get an extra hour of sleep. Most states follow Daylight Saving Time including North Carolina. Only Hawaii and parts of Arizona do not. Most countries in North America and Europe have adopted Daylight Saving Time during the summer months.

Our natural biologic clock is affected by changes in light and darkness. Fatigue and health problems can occur from sleep loss up to a few days after the spring time change. The body’s processes of sleep, being awake, digestion, and immune function are affected. There are more hospital admissions due to heart attacks, strokes and irregular heartbeat. Other health problems include more fatal car accidents, mood swings and seasonal depression.

A person will better adjust to a new light/dark cycle by minimizing changes to their day/night rhythm. Some suggestions are to go to bed earlier for a few days before the changeover. After the time change, get some natural sun light upon waking up.

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

ATLANTA, GA – March 1, 2024 – On March 1^st, the CDC announced updated COVID-19 isolation guidelines to begin immediately. The health agency recommends that persons who test positive for COVID no longer have to isolate for 5 days. The recommendations are intended for the general population and not for health care facilities and settings with more at-risk groups. This is the first time that the agency has changed their isolation recommendations since 2021.

The new guidelines recommend that people who test positive for COVID should isolate at home until they have been without a fever for at least 24 hours without taking any fever-reducing medication like acetaminophen or aspirin AND that their symptoms are improving. After the isolation period is over, the CDC recommends preventive measures for 5 days. They include wearing a well-fitting face mask, keeping a distance away from others, washing or sanitizing hands frequently, cleaning frequently touched surfaces, and improving ventilation by opening windows or through air purification of indoor air.

The new recommendations are the same as for other common respiratory virus infections like the flu and RSV. They are designed to be simple, clear and easier to follow.

The relaxed guidelines are consistent with measures taken by other countries, like Britain, Australia, France, and Canada, without any noteworthy changes in the spread of COVID. California and Oregon have already loosened their recommendations earlier this year.

So much has happened since the onset of COVID-19 in 2020:

• New COVID infections have a lower frequency of severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths.
• There is now treatment available for at-risk people.
• Most American has acquired some immunity to COVID-19 from prior infection, immunization, or both.

David Margolis, Cleveland’s Director of Public Health, opined, “Simplifying the public health messaging to treat all of these dangerous respiratory viruses the same makes a lot of sense.” He added, “When you’re sick, stay home until you feel better.”

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

ASHEVILLE, NC –  March 6, 2024 – We are past the holiday season peak for respiratory viral infections.

The CDC’s COVID Dashboard for the week ending on February 24^th shows:  

• Hospital admission levels are low in about 80% of the counties in North Carolina, including Buncombe County, and high in 0%. They are low in more than 90% of the counties in the U.S. and high in less than 1%. Admissions have decreased in the U.S., North Carolina and Buncombe County from the previous week.
• About 3% of the deaths in North Carolina were due to COVID, the 3^rd lowest level of 6 groups.
• Emergency room visits for COVID-19 are low in North Carolina. This is about 2% of all ER visits, the 2^nd lowest level of 5 groups

Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID outbreaks. The Buncombe & Henderson counties wastewater data on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard for the week ending on February 21^st shows:

• The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at a red level representing the highest level of 5 groups, currently between the 80^th and 100^th percentile relative to the past level measured at the same site.
• The 15-day rate of change of the number of viral gene copies in each water sample has increased from the previous week, between 10% to 99%, the 2^nd level of 3 groups for a positive rate of change.

The CDC’s weekly flu surveillance report for the week ending on February 24^th indicates that North Carolina is at a moderate level.

The CDC reported that the 3-week average for the percent positivity for RSV PCR tests in North Carolina for the week ending on February 24^th shows that it continues to decrease to below 2%.

The North Carolina Respiratory Virus Summary Dashboard for the week ending on February 24^th shows that

• The percentage of emergency room visits for people with respiratory virus symptoms has decreased.
• COVID and flu hospital admissions have decreased
• There were more COVID admissions than flu.

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]