ROCKINGHAM — Local health officials on Monday afternoon gave few details in the update on Richmond County’s first lab-confirmed case of COVID-19.
According to a press release from Health and Human Service Director Dr. Tommy Jarrell, the case is suspected to be due to work-related travel but emphasized that the “work is unrelated to any business in Richmond County.”
Jarrell said the individual, who hasn’t been identified as male or female, is in home isolation with family members.
The gap between tests and returns has dramatically decreased since last week.
Of the 245 individuals tested, Jarrell said the results for 229 have been negative, with 15 still out. More tests were performed Monday.
“As required by N.C. state law, COVID-19 test results are reported by every lab (public and private) to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services,” Jarrell said in the press release. “Testing for COVID-19 is not done locally (only the collection of test sample).
“Furthermore, COVID-19 test results are reported by county of residence, not by the county test sample was collected from,” Jarrell continued. “For example, if a test sample was collected at First Health-Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst for a resident of Richmond County, the results are still reported with Richmond County data and not Moore County. The North Carolina Department of Public Health releases all results (both positive and negative) for every COVID-19 test.”
Last week, Jarrell said three cases for Montgomery County had been misidentified as being from Richmond County.
Although county officials released local information just after 8 a.m., DHHS had yet to include Richmond in its update at 11.
Adding Richmond to the list, there are only 10 counties in the state without a confirmed case of coronavirus: Camden, Jones, Tyrrell and Hyde on the coast; Jackson, Graham, Swain, Madison, Yancey and Avery in the mountains.
Mecklenburg leads the state with 733 of the 2,870 confirmed cases. The only other counties with more than 100 cases are Wake (314), Durham (191) and Guilford (104.)
State records show 270 people are currently hospitalized and 33 deaths are being attributed to the coronavirus.
Every county in South Carolina has at least one case, according to figures from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Neighboring Marlboro County had six cases and Chesterfield County had 13, as of 5 p.m. Monday.
Multiple media outlets reported Monday afternoon that the Palmetto State’s governor, Henry McMaster, issued a stay-at-home order. A press release was not available on the governor’s website at the time of this writing.
Local testing continues at the old Sandhills Regional Hospital in Hamlet from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Those being tested must be referred by the Richmond County Health Department of other health professionals.
For more information on the coronavirus in Richmond County, call the COVID-19 hotline, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, at 910-417-4947.
