Two Macon County residents who had been in close contact tested positive for COVID-19 within a span of three days, and health officials are looking for other people who may have been in contact with them.
Macon County Public Health received a positive COVID-19 test result on Friday, May 15 for an individual between the ages of 25 and 49. On Sunday, May 17 a second person, also aged 25-49, tested positive in a case that was linked to the May 15 diagnosis.
The patient who tested positive on May 15 is symptomatic and will isolate at home for 14 days, according to the health department.
“They both are following isolation instructions and are under the guidance of MCPH,” the health department said in a statement.
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.
“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,” according to the statement.
The new cases come as the health department is working with the state to ramp up testing in the county. State health officials have set a goal to test 5 percent of each county’s population. For Macon County, that would equate to about 1,700 tests.
As of 4 p.m. on May 18, the health department reported 194 tests, two positive, 162 negative and 30 pending. Most of the tests have been conducted by Macon County Public Health, according to Kathy McGaha, health department director.
“Doctor’s offices are required to report any diagnostic test that they conduct for a communicable disease (like COVID-19), regardless of positive or negative result,” she said. “There were several clinics that were not aware of those reporting requirements, therefore we could not be sure of numbers that were being reported. We now have a staff member who contacts all the known testing sites in Macon County each day to collect updated testing numbers, which is reflected in our daily report.”
McGaha said the goal is to have enough supplies in place to organize a mass testing event. Other Western North Carolina counties, including Clay, Henderson, Buncombe, Avery and Mitchell, have conducted drive-thru testing events, but a lack of supplies has led to some shutting down, at least temporarily.
“Part of this coordination [with the state] is working on accessing critical PPE and testing supplies needed to carry out a mass testing event,” McGaha said. “Once a plan is in place, we will notify the public.
Ideally, we would love for every citizen in Macon County to be tested, if they want to be, and have the peace of mind that comes with knowing,” she said. “Unfortunately, there is a limited supply of both PPE and the supplies needed to conduct the test itself, so we are currently prioritizing those who may have been exposed or are symptomatic.”
MCPH is currently testing for COVID-19 by appointment. Those who would like to be considered for testing are encouraged to call the COVID Call Center at 828-349-2517.