COVID-19 Ongoing Outbreaks in Congregate Living Settings

According to the NC Department of Health and Human Services, “In order to standardize reporting regarding COVID-19 outbreaks in congregate living settings, the NC Department of Health and Human Services will update a report two times per week on COVID-19 outbreaks in congregate living settings that will include the names of facilities where there is an ongoing outbreak and the number of positive COVID-19 cases at the facility related to that outbreak. As this pandemic continues to evolve, we continually reassess the appropriateness of data reporting to balance transparency, public health and individual privacy.”

The NC State Veterans Home and Spring Arbor of Kinston, both in Lenoir County, are among dozens of facilities in NC experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak according to NCDHHS. The Veterans Home has four cases and one death attributed to the facility and Spring Arbor has four cases.

“In a congregate living setting, a COVID-19 outbreak is defined as two or more laboratory-confirmed cases in persons who did not have COVID-19 diagnosed before arrival at the facility. An outbreak is considered over after 28 days have passed since the date of symptom onset of the last case. In situations where all persons in a congregate living setting test positive for COVID-19, the outbreak will be considered over when all persons have recovered or been released from isolation.”

“These data reflect information that has been entered into the North Carolina Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NC EDSS). COVID-19 case and outbreak investigations are conducted by local health departments. Time is required to determine whether a given COVID-19 case is associated with a congregate living facility, gather follow-up information, and enter it into NC EDSS. Thus, data included in this report may differ from data available through media and other sources. Data are preliminary, and these numbers are subject to change as more information is obtained during outbreak investigations.”

NCDHHS Announces Carolina Community Tracing Collaborative

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) announces today the Carolina Community Tracing Collaborative, a new partnership with Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) and the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) to help stop the spread of COVID-19. 

This new initiative builds on the long-standing relationship NCDHHS has with both organizations. The Carolina Community Tracing Collaborative is part of Governor Roy Cooper’s initiative to slowly lift restrictions by focusing on testing, tracing and trends. This collaborative will build upon existing local health department tracing efforts to help meet the surge in demand for contact tracing staff expected as COVID-19 testing increases. 

“Extensive contact tracing is a key strategy for North Carolina to stay ahead of the curve,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. "Our local health departments are North Carolina’s experts doing this essential detective work and slowing the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. This collaborative will be a critical addition to our state’s capability to do widespread contact tracing and ease restrictions."

Contact tracing is the process of supporting patients and notifying contacts of exposure in order to stop chains of transmission. When a person tests positive for COVID-19, contact tracing identifies who that individual may have been in contact with so those people can take precautions to avoid infecting others. Contact tracing is a core disease control measure that has been used for decades by local and state health departments, including during the response to COVID-19.