COVID-19 cases increase in Burke

On Thursday, Chae Moore, public information officer for the Burke County Health Department, said Burke County had 129 current positive cases of COVID-19. But those numbers don’t account for people who may test positive through home testing, she said.

UNC Health Blue Ridge told The News Herald on Thursday that it has 17 patients in its hospital with COVID-19, with six of them in the intensive care unit.

COVID-19 has claimed 363 lives in Burke County so far, with some deaths believed due to the virus pending, Moore said. She said the health department has two deaths pending on whether the virus was the culprit.

Moore said the health department is asking the public to stay vigilant about remaining healthy this winter season. She said people should stay up to date on vaccines, whether it’s COVID or flu, stay home if sick and keep up with good hand hygiene.

“COVID is not going anywhere anytime soon so we must be diligent on remembering everything we’ve learned over the last three years,” Moore said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed this week that Burke County, along with neighboring Caldwell and Catawba counties, has a medium level of community spread of the virus.

In October, the county was at a low level of spread.

The CDC says people living in counties with medium community spread who are at high risk of getting very sick should wear a high-quality mask or respirator when indoors in public. Those who have household or social contact with someone at high risk for getting very sick should consider self-testing to detect infection before contact, and consider wearing a high-quality mask when indoors with them, the CDC says.

The CDC says people with virus symptoms, a positive test or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a high-quality mask or respirator when indoors in public.

And just like the health department, the CDC says people should stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, including recommended booster doses.

CDC COVID-19 maps show a large swath of counties in the state are at medium community spread, while a large section in the western part of the state are at a low level of spread.

Meanwhile, Surry, Stokes, Yadkin, Forsyth and Davie counties are seeing a high level of community spread, as are a handful of counties on the eastern end of the state according to the CDC.

The Burke County Health Department offers both flu and COVID-19 vaccines. To make an appointment, call the department at 828-764-9150.