A second Macon County resident has tested positive for COVID-19.
Macon County Public Health, which received notice of the positive test on April 8, said the patient is between the ages of 25-49 with underlying health conditions and is in isolation in a health care facility.
No further information will be released about this individual.
Public Health personnel are working to identify close contacts of the individual, according to the department.
The CDC defines close contact as being within approximately six feet of a person with an infection with COVID-19 case for a prolonged period of time of 10 minutes or longer, according to the health department. Based on information provided by the individual, county health officials will assess risks of exposure, determine which if any additional measures are needed such as temperature and symptom checks, quarantine and/or testing.
On Monday, April 6, the health department reported that the first Macon County resident diagnosed with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, had died.
Two other people in the county who tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 were visitors from out of state.
As of Monday, April 13, Macon County Public Health had performed 78 tests and has received 77 results, according to Emily Ritter, the department’s health educator.
“COVID-19 testing is being conducted at the health department, local hospitals and some local physician offices,” Ritter said.
“We cannot provide a total for the whole county, as we know that there are residents who are being tested outside of the county, physicians who may not be reporting testing, and because North Carolina Epidemiology Branch will not report county testing data to health departments,” Ritter said.
Public Health has asked all local physicians hospitals to send a Person Under Investigation form to the health department for each COVID-19 test that is performed, as required by law, so that, in the event that a test comes back positive, MCPH Communicable Disease staff may begin contact tracing immediately, she said.
Ritter added that patients must meet specific criteria to receive a COVID-19 test. These include: patients who have been hospitalized, health care workers with symptoms, patients in long-term care facilities with symptoms, patients over the age of 65 with symptoms, patients with underlying conditions and symptoms, first responders with symptoms, critical infrastructure workers with symptoms, health care facility workers, individuals with mild symptoms in communities experiencing high numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations and individuals who do not meet any of the proceeding categories with symptoms.
Tests are being examined by the state and the private LabCorp company.
“MCPH has the ability to use both LabCorp and State Lab tests,” Ritter said. “Tests that are sent to the state lab must meet a more restrictive testing requirement, including: a patient who has been hospitalized with a COVID-19 like illness, first responder/healthcare worker, live in/contact with a high risk setting or a higher risk of severe illness. LabCorp tests do not hold the same requirements. If a patient falls within one of the state lab testing groups, we will use a state lab test. Otherwise, the patient will receive a LabCorp test.”
If you believe you may have COVID-19, call Macon County Public Health at 828-349-2517. The call center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.