News Flash

For Immediate Release

04/04/2020                        

Phone: 980-432-1800
Website: www.rowancountync.gov/covid-19
Email: covid-19@rowancountync.gov

Rowan County COVID-19 Confirmed Cases: 46

CDC Recommends Voluntary Use of Non-Medical Grade Masks

CDC continues to study the spread and effects of the novel coronavirus across the United States. We now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms. This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms. In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing simple cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) to slow the spread of the virus.

It is critical to emphasize that maintaining 6-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.

The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.

This recommendation complements and does not replace the President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America, 30 Days to Slow the Spread, which remains the cornerstone of our national effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. CDC will make additional recommendations as the evidence regarding appropriate public health measures continues to develop.

COVID-19 testing information

803 specimens submitted, 46 specimens have tested positive.

Of the 46 positive cases we have found the following:

• 15 of those were travel related and 31 were community acquired
• 11 patients have recovered, 6 are hospitalized, 1 deceased, and we continue to follow-up with 28 individuals.
• These results are from the NC State Laboratory of Public Health and all reporting hospital and commercial labs.

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Download Media Release COVID-19 - April 4, 2020 (PDF)