By Tim Gardner
The latest Coronavirus (COVID-19) numbers for the North Carolina High Country counties of Avery, Mitchell and Yancey show the detection of new positive cases continuing to decline. It marked the third consecutive week that cases of the potentially deadly disease have fallen in those counties.
That data was released by the Toe River Health District, which governs health departments in those counties.
The report from February 13th through February 19th showed Avery County with 109 new cases compared to 146 the week before. That’s 37 fewer cases. Mitchell County with 57 new positives compared to 98 the previous week-41 fewer cases. Yancey County had 89 new positives after experiencing 143 the previous week. That’s a decline of 54 cases.
Sadly though, Mitchell County and Yancey County each reported one additional COVID-19-related death, to bring the number of deaths from the disease to 74 combined in the Toe River Health District counties since August 1, 2021.
But proof of the just how much Coronavirus cases have fallen in the Toe River Health District is that only five weeks ago (January 10-16), Avery County had 242 new positive cases, Mitchell County reported 300 and Yancey County had 295. That’s more than 100 fewer cases in Avery, almost 300 fewer in Mitchell County and more than 200 fewer in Yancey this past week compared to then.
A detailed breakdown of COVID-19 statistics in the three counties from the past week can be accessed at the following Internet link: https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/534/2022/02/21132141/2.13-2.19.2022.pdf
Coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste, loss of smell, diarrhea, nausea, headache, sore throat and body aches. If you experience these symptoms, please call your healthcare provider and follow their advice. If you are having a medical emergency, call 9-1-1 and inform the dispatcher that you have COVID-19 symptoms.
Medical professionals have declared that because coronavirus and its variants is most commonly spread through respiratory droplets, everyone is urged to take precautions to protect themselves from the spread of all respiratory illness, including COVID-19, until the vaccines are much more widely taken. Those include: Stay home as much as possible-especially stay home and quarantined when sick; practice social distancing (at least 6 feet); wear a mask when out in public; avoid contact with persons who you know are sick; cover your cough; practice good hand hygiene by washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; use hand sanitizer that is at least 60 percent alcohol; and cleaning frequently touched surfaces often with household cleaners.
Further details about coronavirus, testing for the disease, inoculations and the Toe River Health District agencies can be obtained by calling its health departments, depending on which of those counties in which you reside: Avery County Health Department (828)-733-6031; Mitchell County Health Department (828)-688-2371; and/or Yancey County Health Department (828)-682-6118.