Coronavirus cases rise in the Triangle as Durham reports a nursing home outbreak
Saturday, the day before Easter, thousands of people headed outside to enjoy the sunshine — and do some shopping — before a new executive order took effect in North Carolina.
The Triangle has reported more than 85 cases since Friday.
As outbreaks are reported at nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the state, the Durham County Department of Public Health said Saturday night it is investigating an outbreak at a local facility. “Multiple cases” have been confirmed among residents and staff, a news release said, with more tests ongoing.
The county did not name the facility. Visitation has been limited there since March 19, the county said.
North Carolina passed a milestone of 4,000 cases Friday, about five weeks after the first case was diagnosed March 2.
Officially, the state counts 4,312 cases Saturday, an increase of 404 cases from Friday and nearly 2,000 more than a week ago, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported Saturday. The state reports 80 deaths.
The News & Observer is keeping a separate COVID-19 tally based on reports from the state and county health departments, which tends to be higher because the state takes longer to confirm cases.
As of Saturday night, there are 4,398 cases and 85 deaths.
The virus had reached 92 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, according to that data. The number of cases is likely to be higher, as not all counties are conducting tests on people exhibiting mild symptoms.
On Monday at 5 p.m., a new executive order takes effect in North Carolina with new rules for retail outlets that limit the occupancy to 20% of stores’ fire capacity, or five people per 1,000 square feet of retail space. A violation of the new order may be prosecuted as a Class 2 misdemeanor, subject to up to 60 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Saturday evening, many shoppers at Lowe’s in Garner said they were not there to stock up in preparation for the impending executive order. And while there were reports of crowded parking lots earlier in the day, they said they felt comfortable shopping there.
“People keep their distance,” said James Hiester. “I don’t see any threat to my experience.”
Hiester recently bought a new house and was shopping for gardening and paint supplies. He travels frequently for work but said he can now spend more time on house work because he is working remotely.
Shelby Roberson and Jacob Copeland came to buy bathroom supplies, but said they weren’t too concerned about getting the virus at the store.
“We’re cautious of it,” Roberson said. “We know of it.”
“The only thing I’m worried about is how long it’s going to last,” Copeland added.
Conise Wilson, 45, who was shopping with her 75-year-old father, was a little more concerned, but she said she and her father are taking all the appropriate precautions. She was at Lowe’s to buy wood to repair a backyard fence.
“We use hand sanitizer when we come into stores, we are trying to find masks and when we get home, we immediately wash our hands.”
Here is data from Triangle counties.
Wake County
How many cases: 449 cases, up 29 cases from Friday.
Durham County
How many cases: 277 cases, up 14 from Friday.
All residents and staff at the nursing and rehabilitation facility will be tested, Durham officials said. The department also will seek out contacts with residents who have tesed positive for COVID-19.
Orange County
How many cases: 141, an increase of 37 from Friday morning, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
Another person who lived at PruittHealth-Carolina Point died April 10, the Orange County Health Department said Saturday. The person was in their 60s, according to a release from the county.
The News & Observer reported Friday that 86 people, including 66 residents and 20 staff members, at PruittHealth-Carolina Point have been infected.
That brings the total deaths at the Orange County nursing home to four. Two of the residents lived in other counties before coming to the facility. The three earlier deaths happened April 3, April 4 and April 8, The News & Observer reported.
Signature Health at Chapel Hill has reported 31 positive cases of COVID-19, with more tests expected to come in.
Johnston County
How many cases: 96, an increase of 5 from Friday.
Johnston County also has a long-term care facility experiencing an outbreak. Springbrook Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Clayton reports 40 cases: 27 current and former residents and 11 staff members, according to the Johnston County Health Department.
Chatham County
How many cases: 37
An outbreak of 6 cases was reported earlier in the week at The Laurels of Chatham, a nursing and rehabilitation Center in Pittsboro. All residents and staff were tested April 10 for COVID-19, Chatham County’s public health director said in a news release Friday.
This story was originally published April 11, 2020 at 7:43 PM with the headline "Coronavirus cases rise in the Triangle as Durham reports a nursing home outbreak."