Orange County COVID-19 Updated Data August 28, 2020

The Orange County Health Department has provided the following information about COVID-19 cases in Orange County as of 9:00 a.m. today:

TOTAL CASES: 2,143
TOTAL DEATHS: 50

Data Considerations:
1. Any demographic groups with very small numbers have been suppressed to protect
patient confidentiality.
2. We are missing race and ethnicity data for between 30-40% of confirmed cases.
3. We don’t know who may have COVID-19 that wasn’t able to get tested, and we don’t know what groups the patients with missing data fall under.
This data should not be used to make generalizations about who may or may not have higher rates of infection.

Click here to download the entire release.

College Students Returning Home from a Cluster Location Should Test and Quarantine

Got students returning home from a college or university? If a cluster of COVID-19 cases was identified in their residential area, they should be tested for the virus and should quarantine for 14 days regardless of test results, states the Orange County Health Department.

A cluster is five or more cases deemed close in location, such as a single residential hall or dwelling. Those living in dormitories or other congregant living with a cluster are considered known contacts to someone with COVID-19. Known contacts should continue to quarantine for 14 days after leaving their university residence even if they receive a negative test result. Virus symptoms can appear up to 14 days after exposure.

Students or household members who experience any COVID-19 symptoms ? including fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches or a cough ? should contact their medical provider immediately.

Testing
See the Orange County COVID-19 Testing webpage for additional information on local testing options.

Click here for the entire release.

Barrier breaking Emergency Services Director announces retirement

Dinah Jeffries, who has served as permanent Orange County Emergency Services Director since August 2016 and has been a county employee for 37 years, announced in July she would retire on Jan. 1, 2021.

“Dinah has been a strong leader of Emergency Services and has built strong relationships with our partners,” said Orange County manager Bonnie Hammersley. “We are grateful for her dedication and commitment to Orange County. She will be hard to replace and missed by many people.”

Jeffries began her Orange County career in June 1983 as a temporary Summer Youth Counselor with the Recreation Division. She was hired in September of that year as a dispatcher with what was then known as Emergency Management (the name changed to OC Emergency Services in 2008.)

She was promoted throughout her career and was appointed as the Interim Emergency Services Director in October 2015. She was hired into the position in August 2016, becoming the first woman and first African-American to lead the department.

“My parents always taught me that if I allowed my race or my gender to limit what I knew I could accomplish, then I was defeated from the onset,” she said.

Click here for more.

Orange County Animal Services offers advice and guidance on what to do if you find a lost kitten.

BoE encourages voters to submit absentee requests early

Orange County voters interested in Absentee Voting By Mail are encouraged to make their request well before the deadline due to anticipated high demand, said Orange County Elections Director Rachel Raper.

All by-mail civilian absentee ballot requests must be submitted on the State Absentee Ballot Request form and must be signed by the voter or a near relative who is making a request on behalf of a voter. The form is available on the Orange County website (www.orangecountync.gov/1104/Absentee-Voting-By-Mail).

Requests may be mailed (PO Box 220, Hillsborough 27278), emailed (vote@orangecountync.gov), faxed (919-644-3318) or hand delivered to the Board of Elections office (208 S Cameron Street, Hillsborough).

Requests must be received by the BoE by 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before the election (Oct. 27). Postmarks do not qualify.

Click here for more information.

State Board of Elections releases statements on voting registration outreach efforts

North Carolina elections officials are responding to many voters’ questions and concerns about mass mailings, text messages, phone calls and home visits by political and advocacy groups.

{View a video of Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell discussing this issue.}

Many ongoing outreach efforts by third parties urge residents to request absentee by-mail ballots or register to vote ahead of the November 3 general election. Some mailings include voter registration applications or absentee ballot request forms. These efforts typically are legal, but they can be confusing or frustrating for voters and erode confidence in elections, especially when they are unsolicited.

The NCSBE offers the following tips for voters:

or voters, elections officials offer the following tips for dealing with the onslaught of mail, phone calls and text messages this election season:

Rely on official sources, especially your state and county elections officials, for accurate information about elections and the voting process. o to NCSBE.gov or your county board’s website for accurate and up-to-date information about elections.
Check your voter registration status with the State Board’s “Voter Search” tool. If you are not registered or want to update your registration, download, complete and sign a North Carolina Voter Registration Application. Return the application to your county board of elections. If you are an existing NCDMV customer, you can register to vote or change certain parts of your registration online here free of charge.
Request an absentee ballot by going to NCSBE.gov and downloading a 2020 State Absentee Ballot Request Form. The law has changed to allow request forms to be transmitted to the county board of elections office via fax or email, in addition to by mail or in person. Absentee ballots will be mailed to voters who requested them beginning Sept. 4.
Elections officials do not randomly call or text residents or go door-to-door to register voters or encourage them to request absentee ballots.
Always ask voter registration workers who come to your door to verify their identities and organizations. If someone refuses, call the State Board office at 919-814-0700 and ask for the Investigations Division.

Aging Department to host presentation on end-of-life options

The Orange County Department on Aging and the Project EngAGE End of Life Choices Senior Resource Team invite the public to attend a virtual presentation, Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking (VSED): A Little Known End of Life Option on Sept 22.

As modern technology prolongs our lives, a life well-lived can often end with a long and painful struggle. Increasingly there are choices available about end-of-life options that afford greater personal control over the time and manner of death. A “good death” is more likely when medical practitioners and those supporting the dying person are more informed about these options.

The Project EngAGE End of Life Choices Senior Resource Team proudly hosts Elliott and Susan Schaffer for a discussion of the medical, ethical and legal issues involving VSED, Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking. They will share with us the end of life story of Susan’s mother, Beatrice Belopolsky, a resident of a retirement community in New Jersey.

Presenters include:

Elliott Schaffer, MD, retired geriatrician and former Medical Director at Martins Run Life Care Community in Media, Pa.
Susan Schaffer, JD, retired attorney and former Senior Counsel at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.

The event will take place on Tuesday, Sept 22, from 4 – 5:15 pm via a virtual platform. The room will accept entry beginning at 3:45 pm to assist with any questions or issues with using the platform prior to the start of the program.

For link information please contact Shenae McPherson at shmcpherson@orangecountync.gov
If technology assistance is needed please contact Shenae McPherson at 919-245-4243 by Thursday, Sept 17.

HRC Summer Community Read examines voter suppression

This year is the 150th Anniversary of the 15th Amendment and the 55th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, yet the struggle for the ballot continues for African Americans.

The HRC’s Community Read for this summer is “Give us the Ballot: A Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America” by Ari Berman, a senior reporter for Mother Jones and a fellow at Type Media Center. He was the first reporter to cover voter suppression efforts in 2012, bringing national attention to the issue. He has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Rolling Stone and other national publications and is a frequent contributor to MSNBC, C-SPAN and NPR.

“Give Us the Ballot” chronicles the history of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as it transformed the American democratic process, while counterrevolutionaries sought to suppress voting rights that, “target[ed] African Americans with almost surgical precision.”
In 2013, the Supreme Court declared a key provision of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional. As lawmakers continue to devise new strategies to suppress minorities’ voting rights the battle over race, representation, and political power rages on in America.

The HRC is hosting a Community Read event on Sept. 13, from 3-5 p.m.
This event is free and open to the community and will include a discussion of the Voting Rights Act, attempts to suppress voting rights and the ways we as a community can address the issues presented in the book. The discussion will be led by members of the Orange County Human Relations Commission. Click the link below to register.
https://orangecountync.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0K47Z5YgQTSV4CICCnddWw

Pre-registration is required for this event.

Orange County Solid Waste Mulch for Sale

Orange County Solid Waste is hosting a half-price mulch sale at $12.50 for three cubic yards. Compost is available at $30/cubic yard.

The Orange County Landfill is located at 1514 Eubanks Road, Chapel Hill and is open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. - noon. Solid Waste will deliver any amount for a delivery fee ($50 within 10 miles, $75 10-20 miles).

Call ahead to arrange delivery and payment at (919) 968-2788.

www.orangecountync.gov