The popular saying states that the third time’s a charm, but that’s certainly not the case when it comes to the fact that, on Thursday, March 19, Guilford County announced the discovery of the third case of coronavirus in the county.
The Guilford County Division of Public Health announced on Thursday afternoon that the county had received confirmation of the third positive COVID-19 case in Guilford County. According to county health officials, the infected person had traveled to New York with his or her family in March. When the person returned to Guilford County, he or she began experiencing the symptoms of the virus. The person then went to an area health care provider and was tested for the virus.
According to county officials, the person is in continual communication with county health officials and is now in self-isolation. A press release on the discovery stated that family members of the person are also in self-isolation and they are receiving guidance from the communicable disease staff of the health department. Health department staff have begun a contact investigation in an attempt to reduce exposure to the public.
According to Dr. Iulia Vann, Guilford County’s newly named interim public health director, the county is looking intently into every case of the virus found.
“We are evaluating every case that we receive,” Vann stated in the press release. “Through systematic follow-up, we can trace contacts to positive cases and notify individuals who were within six feet of the individual for more than 10 minutes, which we would consider to be a close contact. We understand that these are difficult times for the community and we all need to continue to work together to get through this hardship.”
In consultation with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS, the county’s health department is following up directly with all individuals who’ve had close contact with any of the three infected and who are therefore at risk of infection.
The health department will monitor all close contacts and also assure that “proper evaluation and care” are provided if they become ill. County officials also note that, as of yet, there’s no evidence that person-to-person transmission has occurred in Guilford County.
