A Macon County resident diagnosed with COVID-19 died on Sunday, which totals nine COVID-19 related deaths in the county. The death was reported by Macon County Public Health on Nov. 23.
The person was over the age of 65 and had underlying health conditions. The individual is not related any existing clusters or outbreaks, to the knowledge of Macon County Public Health.
To protect the family´s privacy, no further information will be released about this patient.
“The family and loved ones of this individual are in our thoughts and prayers,” said Macon County Health Director Kathy McGaha. “With the approaching holiday and as more people gather indoors, please continue to practice the 3Ws and be mindful of those that are higher risk. We can make a difference by wearing a mask, washing your hands, and staying 6 feet from others. Continue to practice social distancing and limit your trips outside your home to help to slow the spread of COVID-19.”
As of yesterday, Gov. Roy Cooper extended Phase 3 capacity limits and safety requirements, and mandated that everyone needs to wear a mask whenever they are with someone who is not from the same household, regardless of social distancing. Read Order HERE.
Older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19; however, anyone of any age can become infected with this illness.
Therefore, MCPH asks that community members strictly follow the governor’s orders and continue to practice social distancing, as well as safe hygiene measures such as hand washing and frequently cleaning touched objects and surfaces.
The public can monitor the different phases of re-opening and learn more about the restrictions at https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/guidance. It is important to make sure the information you are getting about COVID-19 is coming directly from reliable sources.
For more information, please visit the CDC’s website at http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus and NCDHHS’ website at http://www.ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus, which also includes future positive COVID-19 test results in North Carolina.
Symptoms for COVID-19 are fever, cough, other lower respiratory illness (shortness of breath). If you believe that you may have COVID-19, please call the Health Department at 828.349.2517. The call center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., closing daily for lunch from 12 – 1 p.m., until further notice.