ASHEVILLE, NC – July 20, 2022 – The CDC reports that the risk level for Buncombe County is medium for the week ending July 14th. For a community at a medium risk level, the CDC recommends:
- Wear a mask on public transportation.
- You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others.
- If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider wearing a mask indoors in public and take additional precautions.
The Buncombe County COVID-19 metrics are on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard. Data from the week ending on July 9th indicate:
- There have been 192 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 7 days down 16% from 230 cases from the previous week.
- 66% of the total population have received their full primary vaccination series. This is unchanged for over 4 months.
- 65% of people with their full primary vaccination series have had at least one booster. This is unchanged over the past week.
- The seven-day daily average of COVID-19 hospitalizations has increased by 19% since last week and of ICU patients have increased by more than 3 times over the previous week.
- Wastewater surveillance may provide an early warning before individual testing shows that COVID-19 is spreading. The state dashboard reports that the 15-day rate of change of viral load for the Metropolitan Sewer District for Buncombe County is moderately increasing for the time period ending July 6th. The CDC website reports moderately increasing for the time period ending July 10th.
The Department of Health and Human Services recommends:
- Get vaccinated and boosted when eligible.
- People with any COVID symptoms or exposure to someone with COVID should get tested
- People who are positive for COVID-19 or do not feel well should stay home
Vaccination sites and testing sites can be located through the North Carolina and Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services.
Save your face masks:
- The risk level may rise with a new variant
- A person at high risk for severe illness should speak with their health care provider
- Mask wearing is recommended for persons with a positive test, having symptoms, or exposure to someone with COVID-19
- Effective May 4, 2022, the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services and the CDC recommend wearing masks in health care and long-term care settings. The N95 or KN95 mask offers the best protection. Wear a mask that is well-fitting.
Listen to the full report below:
Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]
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