COVID-19 Updates: May, 19 2020

Know your W's!

The NC Department of Health and Human Services is asking people to remember these three things as we stay strong and continue to flatten the curve and slow the spread of COVID-19.

If you leave home, practice your Ws: Wear, Wait, Wash

Wear a cloth face covering if you will be with other people
Wait 6 feet apart. Avoid close contact.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer.

These actions can protect our families and neighbors as the state takes a cautious step forward to ease restrictions while the virus is still circulating.

All North Carolinians are encouraged to share this message in their businesses and through their organizations to protect our families and neighbors as the state takes a cautious step forward while the virus is still circulating.

North Carolina COVID-19 Cases

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reports 19,023 COVID-19 cases, 511 hospitalizations and 661 deaths as of May 19, 2020. For more information regarding live updates (NCDHHS updates the site every morning at 11 a.m.), please visit the NCDHHS website.

Orange County Health Department also has a COVID-19 dashboard webpage, with information on COVID-19 data in the county. The dashboard will be updated every Tuesday and Thursday.

There are currently 277 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Orange County, and 36 deaths.

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.

Visual of how Viruses Spread

(CNN) A viral video from Japan aims to show how easily germs and viruses can spread in restaurants when just one person is infected.

The experiment simulates the atmosphere at a buffet restaurant or on a cruise ship. It was conducted by the public broadcasting organization NHK in conjunction with health experts.

The video shows 10 people coming into the restaurant, with one singled out as an "infected" person. A fluorescent substance only visible under black light is applied onto that person's hands, representing germs from a cough or a sneeze. Each participant then goes about the buffet as they normally would, not considering a potential contamination.

At the end of the video, the participants are cast under black lights illuminating where the "infection" has spread.

The substance, used to signify the germs, can be seen on food, serving utensils and platters, and even on the faces of some of the participants.

Japan has had 16,049 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 678 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. More than 4.3 million cases of Covid-19 have been recorded worldwide, including at least 297,000 deaths.

The educational video can be found here.

Safe Kids of Orange County

Safe Kids Orange County (NC) is led by UNC Health Care Trauma Program, which provides dedicated and caring staff, operation support and other resources to assist in achieving our common goal: keeping your kids safe.

Based on the needs of the community, this coalition implements evidence-based programs, such as car-seat checkups, safety workshops and sports clinics, that help parents and caregivers prevent childhood injuries.

Orange County Health Department is a member of the Safe Kids Orange County (NC) coalition, and would like to promote Safe Kids upcoming summer series on child safety. Learn more about the series below.

We are so excited to release this video series of short summer safety tips from our community partners to share important safety messages on: open water safety, pool safety, sport and concussion safety, hot car stroke prevention, campfire safety, firework safety, travel and social media safety, car seat safety and more. Each video is created by one of our community partners from Orange or Chatham County.
Please help us to share these videos far and wide.
The link to the video series is here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7062346

Thanks for helping us spread our message!

COVID-19 Community Resources

For more information on COVID-19 community resources in the county, please visit our webpage. Resources on specific topic areas, such as food access, education, housing, and others, are all accessible on our website, or at the links below.

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