Another COVID cluster reported in North Carolina, this one at 911 center, officials say
Several coronavirus cases are tied to an emergency call center, marking another cluster of infections in Western North Carolina, officials say.
Five workers at the Macon County 911 Communication Center tested positive for COVID-19, health officials said Wednesday in a Facebook post.
The coronavirus cluster was reported days after another group of cases was announced within the local sheriff’s office, McClatchy News reported. Six people who work for the department received positive COVID-19 test results, according to Macon County Public Health.
Also in Western North Carolina, officials last week said 75 cases were linked to a holiday event at a Haywood County church.
In relation to the newly reported cluster, Macon County Public Health said staff members at the 911 facility know about the potential exposure and are “being contacted for testing.” Officials urge those workers to go into quarantine if they develop COVID-19 symptoms, such as cough or fever.
The health department also said it is trying to identify people who may have been near the infected employees for 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,” the department wrote on Facebook.
Macon County, home to the town of Franklin, is on the South Carolina border and roughly 70 miles southwest of Asheville. The area is in the orange zone on the statewide COVID-19 alert map, meaning community spread there is “substantial,” according to data published on Tuesday.
Counties marked in orange have 101 or more coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents within a two-week period. The areas must also see a “moderate impact” on local hospitals and a positivity rate of 8 to 10%, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
The latest statewide report shows Macon County moved up from the yellow zone, designated for counties that have “significant community spread” and don’t meet the criteria for being in the orange tier.
To help stop the spread of the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges people to wash their hands, wear masks and practice social distancing while around people who don’t live with them.
This story was originally published December 24, 2020 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Another COVID cluster reported in North Carolina, this one at 911 center, officials say."
