ROCKINGHAM — Contrary to the rumor mill, there are currently no cases of coronavirus in Richmond County, according to Health and Human Services Director Dr. Tommy Jarrell.
The Health Department issued a statement on social media Thursday afternoon saying that there have not been any presumptive or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county.
There have also not been any quarantine orders issued, Jarrell added.
Richmond Observer staff members were sent screenshots of a Rockingham resident saying she had been quarantined because of recent travel.
Jarrell said some people have been tested but no tests have come back positive.
He wasn’t sure exactly how many in all have been tested because health care facilities can test through a private lab. Jarrell did confirm that the Health Department has tested one individual.
The health director said he spoke with his counterpart in Moore County around lunchtime Thursday who said there had not been any confirmed cases there either, although some patients have been tested.
“I would imagine every county in the state has had testing,” Jarrell said.
The testing is done in two phases, he added. Once an individual tests presumptive positive locally, the test is then sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a confirmation test.
According to the latest figures from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, 11 North Carolinians have tested presumptive positive — one of those being a Durham resident who tested positive in another state.
So far, there has only been one individual to test positive for COVID-19 in the state.
If there are any cases in Richmond County, an announcement will be made by the county government.
