Orange County Health Department


Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates: April 7, 2020


Orange County Health Department: Clinic Schedule Changes

SOUTHERN HUMAN SERVICES CENTER


Mondays: 8-5 by appointment only
Tuesdays: 8-5 telehealth by appointment only
Wednesdays: 10-5 by appointment only
Thursday: 9:30-6:30 by appointment only
Friday: 8-12 telehealth by appointment only


WHITTED HUMAN SERVICES CENTER

 
Mondays: 8-5 telehealth and by appointment only
Tuesdays: 9:30-6:30 telehealth and by appointment only
Wednesdays: 10-5 telehealth and by appointment only
Thursday: 8-5 telehealth and by appointment only
Friday: 8-12 telehealth and by appointment only 




Stay at Home or Curfew?

There has been some confusion in the differences between a Stay at Home Order and a Curfew. At the time of this post, Orange County and the state of NC have Stay At Home Orders ONLY and do NOT have a curfew. The Stay At Home Order allows people to leave their homes for essential reasons only (work or needs) but at any time of day. A curfew is stricter and only allows people to be out for essential reasons during certain hours. For more info about OC Stay At Home order visit our website. 

Ha habido confusión en las diferencias entre la Orden de Quedarse en Casa y un toque de queda. En el momento de esta publicación, el Condado de Orange y el estado de NC solo tienen órdenes de Quedarse en Casa y NO tienen toque de queda. La orden Quedarse en Casa permite a las personas salir de sus hogares solamente por razones esenciales (trabajo o necesidades) pero en cualquier hora del día. Un toque de queda es más estricto y permite que las personas salgan por razones esenciales solo durante ciertas horas. Para obtener más información sobre la Orden de Quedarse en Casa, visite: https://www.orangecountync.gov/2367/14755/Stay-at-home-FAQ-Spanish



Stay at Home




Stay at Home (Critical Services)




Stay at Home (Do's and Don'ts)




Pets and COVID-19


Read more about COVID-19 and pets here.
COVID-19 and Pets




Receive COVID-19 Updates Through Text


Orange County residents can receive COVID-19 updates by text message. If interested, text OCNCHEALTH to 888-777. For Spanish, text OCNCSALUD to 888-777.

COVID-19 updates




COVID-19 Texts (Spanish)




Orange County Call Center


*Due to low call volume, the Call Center will be in operation from Monday-Friday only.
Call Center




National Public Health Week
April 6-12, 2020

NPHW

April 6-12 is recognized National Public Health Week (NPHW). This year marks the 25th NPHW, with the theme being 'Looking Back, Moving Forward.'

Listed below, are the daily themes for NPHW:

  • Monday- Mental Health
  • Tuesday- Maternal and Child Health
  • Wednesday- Violence Prevention
  • Thursday- Environmental Health
  • Friday- Education
  • Saturday- Healthy Homes
  • Sunday- Economics
Orange County Health Department will be sharing local COVID-19 resource information all week, in line with the daily themes for NPHW.
Mental Health Resources




Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19

Face Mask


CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

CDC also advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.  
Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.

Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators.  Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.

Instructional video




Myths Vs. Facts: April 7, 2020

Myths and Facts

Myth: A face mask will protect you from COVID-19.
Fact: Certain models of professional, tight-fitting respirators (such as the N95) can protect health care workers as they care for infected patients. The medical professionals will be “fit tested” prior to use.

For the general public without respiratory illness, wearing lightweight disposable surgical masks is not recommended. Because they don’t fit tightly, they may allow tiny infected droplets to get into the nose, mouth or eyes. Also, people with the virus on their hands who touch their face under a mask might become infected.

People with a respiratory illness can wear these masks to lessen their chance of infecting others. Bear in mind that stocking up on masks makes fewer available for sick patients and health care workers who need them.




North Carolina COVID-19 Cases:

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reports 2,870 COVID-19 cases, 270 hospitalizations and 33 deaths as of April 6, 2020. For more information regarding live updates (NCDHHS updates the site every morning at 11 a.m.), please visit the NCDHHS website.


There are currently 67 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Orange County.

Orange County will not be sharing any patient demographics about positive COVID-19 cases. Information that identifies a person who has or may have COVID-19 is protected by NC’s communicable disease confidentiality law, G.S. 130A-143. When the information is maintained by a local health department, it is protected by HIPAA as well. The address alone is sufficient to make the information individually identifiable, even without the name. Therefore, the information must be managed in a way that complies with these laws. We will not ever share race, age, sex or zip code.

Social distancing is extremely important to limit the spread of COVID-19. Included below are infographics in English, Spanish and Chinese that give tips on social distancing. Orange County encourages residents to practice social distancing along with other steps, such as proper hand washing, to combat the spread. 

Spanish, Chinese, Kinyarwanda, Chinese and Karen versions of the graphics below are available here.

Social distancing




Handwashing

Six Feet Apart




Avoid COVID-19 Scams


Read more about how to protect yourself from coronavirus scams here. Spanish translation is available here.
Avoid scams

Resources

NC 2-1-1


NC 2-1-1 is an information and referral service provided by United Way of North Carolina. Accessible via an easy-to-remember, three-digit number, families and individuals can call to obtain free and confidential information on health and human services and resources within their community.

2-1-1 is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Dialing 2-1-1 is free, confidential, and available in most languages.

COVID-19 Assistance




Resource

Nutrition




Access to Food

Orange County Schools have coordinated pick up/drop off locations for families to receive food. For more information, click here.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools has a multilingual line 919-918-2240 for families to call with school related questions

Northern Orange resources

Town of Chapel Hill COVID-19 resources




Housing


St Thomas More Church will continue with providing financial assistance for rent, for Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents during this time of social distancing. They require a copy of the lease. Do not come to the church.
  • Remote Financial Assistance Ministry will operate on following times:
  • Mondays 8:30-11:30AM and Thursdays 6-8pm
  • People should contact by phone at 919-942-6216 
  • People could call in advance and leave a message and a volunteer would call/email back during Remote Financial Assistance time-frame. 


Fair Housing




Fair Housing (Spanish)




Orange County COVID-19 Resource List


A comprehensive list on local resources in Orange County can be found here.
Community resources list




Immigrant and Refugee Health Resources

Check out OCHD’s COVID-19 Multilingual Resource page.

OCHD has national, state and locally produced resources in English, Spanish, Chinese, and many also in American Sign Language (ASL) Arabic, Burmese, Karen, and Kinyarwanda. Swahili to come soon! New materials are posted weekly, and sometimes daily, so check back frequently!

Please share widely and direct questions or feedback to Susan Clifford, Immigrant & Refugee Health Program Manager at sclifford@orangecountync.gov or 919-245-2487




Additional COVID-19 resources:


COVID-19 FAQ
Testing
Social Distancing
Individuals and Families
COVID-19 Basics
Travel
Schools
Special Populations
Long-Term Care Facilities
Stop Xenophobia
Community
Multilingual Resources
Businesses and employees
Myths and Facts
How to help
Are you sick
Pets
Number of cases
Food info
Blank
Food info




Virus




Donations

COVID-19 Response: Donation Opportunities


Want to donate items to help support the COVID-19 response? Please use this form. 




Contact Information


For general questions (not urgent) about 2019 Novel Coronavirus, contact NCDHHS at: ncresponse@dhhs.nc.gov or 1-866-462-3821 to address general questions about coronavirus from the public.

If you are an individual or a medical practice with questions about COVID-19, call the Orange County Health Department at (919) 245-6111. During business hours (8:30a.m. to 5 p.m.) 

Contact Kristin Prelipp, the Orange County Health Department’s Public Information Officer at: kprelipp@orangecountync.gov or 919-245-2462

Orange County Health Department:
Web: www.orangecountync.gov/coronavirus
Phone: 919-245-2400
Email: covid19@orangecountync.gov
Facebook: Orange County Health Department
Instagram: OrangeHealthNC
Twitter: Orange Health NC
Youtube: OCHDNC

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300 W Tryon St, Hillsborough, NC 27278

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