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One Additional Confirmed Case of COVID-19 in Avery County; Total Now up to 10

By Tim Gardner

Avery County has reached double figures in confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Avery County Health Department, part of Toe River Health District, was notified that this tenth resident of the county tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The announcement about the infected individual was made on June 21.

The individual is in isolation and this specific case is not related to any of the county’s other COVID-19 cases, according to TRHD officials.

To protect individual privacy, no further information about this case will be released.

Of Avery County’s 10 COVID-19 cases, 5 are active, while 5 of the individuals who contracted the disease have recovered, the TRHD noted.

ACHD and TRHD staff members have conducted investigations and have contacted close contacts of the individuals who have been confirmed to have COVID-19 to contain the spread of disease.

ACHD and TRHD officials are keeping the public informed by announcing any additional cases that may arise through local media partners.

Mitchell County (Spruce Pine-Bakersville), another entity governed by the TRHD has its 25th confirmed COVID-19 case on June 21. Of those 25 positive cases, 13 are active cases and 12 that have recovered. Yancey (Burnsville), the other county in the health district, currently has 35 confirmed cases. Eight of those are active, with 27 recovered cases.

It is important to understand that the identification of a case does not change our local strategies for preventing and reducing the spread of disease. Above all else, please isolate yourself at home if you are sick. Coronavirus symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste, loss of smell, headaches, sore throat, diarrhea, nausea, 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 symptoms of COVID-19. Approximately 80 percent of coronavirus cases generate only mild symptoms.

It is important to make sure the information you are getting about COVID-19 is coming directly from reliable sources like the CDC, NCDHHS, and Avery County Health Department. For more information, call the North Carolina Coronavirus Hotline at 1-866-462-3821 (staffed by nurses and pharmacists at all times—day or night).