Two individuals have tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Mecklenburg County. One of the individuals is confirmed to be a Mecklenburg County resident. The other individual was tested in Mecklenburg County but does not reside in Mecklenburg County. The tests, conducted by the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health, are presumptively positive and will be confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab (CDC). The individuals are doing well and are in isolation at home.
“Public Health is working closely with the State Health Department, community partners, first responders, health care providers and others to quickly identify and respond to cases that might occur,” said Gibbie Harris, Mecklenburg County Public Health Director.
Public Health Department staff are identifying close contacts of the individuals with COVID-19 and monitoring symptoms to contain spread. To protect individual privacy, no further information will be released.
While awaiting confirmation of results from the CDC, the Mecklenburg County Public Health Department (MCPH) will treat presumptive cases as positive and follow CDC guidelines to protect public health and limit the spread of infection.
Today’s announcement represents isolated cases, and COVID-19 is currently not widespread in North Carolina. Because COVID-19 is most commonly spread through respiratory droplets, County residents should take the same measures that healthcare providers recommend annually to prevent the spread of the flu and other viruses, including washing your hands, avoiding touching your face and covering coughs and sneezes.
It is important to make sure the information you are getting about COVID-19 is coming directly from reliable sources like MCPH, CDC and NCDHHS. The best resource for information about COVID-19 in Mecklenburg County is the County’s website, MeckNC.gov. Individuals can also call the County’s COVID-19 hotline at 980-314-9400.
For more information, please visit the County’s website, MeckNC.gov, the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus and NCDHHS’ website at www.ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus, which will also include future positive COVID-19 test results in North Carolina.
A video of the media briefing is available on MeckNC.gov.
