COVID DEVELOPMENTS THIS WEEK IN ALAMANCE COUNTY: HEALTH DEPT. SAYS FIVE LOCAL DAY CARES HAVE COVID-19 ‘CLUSTERS’. The Alamance County Health Department has identified clusters of COVID-19 cases at five separate child care centers across Alamance County – two in Mebane, two in Haw River, and one in Burlington.
The state’s Department and Health and Human Services defines a cluster as a minimum of five laboratory-confirmed cases within a 14-day period. The five centers are: Hawfields Presbyterian Child Care and Development Center in Mebane; Like My Own Daycare #2 in Burlington; and Kidz N Progress Childcare across three locations – one in Mebane and two in Haw River.
Specific breakdowns of the cases are as follows, according to the county’s health department:
HAWFIELDS CHILD CARE: nine cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among six staff and three children;
LIKE MY OWN DAYCARE #2: six cases have been confirmed among three staff and three children.
KIDZ N PROGRESS: Across the three sites, five cases have been confirmed among three staff and two students.
“Alamance County Health Department was able to identify cases and respond quickly to each childcare center to hopefully mitigate future spread,” according to health director Tony Lo Giudice. “We will continue to offer guidance to ensure the safety of staff, children, and the community.”
Alamance County Health Department identified its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on March 20, 2020. Since then, a total of 15,592 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the community, according to the health department. Of those confirmed cases, 14,729 have been released from isolation and 641 remain active and in isolation, according to the department.
Included in those active cases, 21 individuals are receiving care at a hospital, the department says, adding that there have been 222 COVID-19 related deaths.
Although the percent of positive COVID-19 cases has decreased in the county, we still need to be mindful that COVID-19 is still prevalent, the health department said in a statement, which also reminded everyone to take steps to reduce risks of contracting COVID-19: by wearing a face covering; maintaining physical distance and avoiding crowds; and washing your hands and cleaning commonly-used surfaces regularly.
The department is also encouraging residents to receive the vaccine as it becomes available.
See also: the latest summary of COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths follows: https://alamancenews.com/latest-alamance-county-covid-19-statistics-cases-hospitalizations-deaths/
School board presses health director of vaccines for teachers, safety of school reopening: https://alamancenews.com/school-board-members-press-health-director-about-vaccines-safety-of-school-reopenings/
Second outbreak at county’s jail: https://alamancenews.com/county-jail-reports-second-outbreak-of-covid/
