NC county neighboring Horry County announces first presumptive positive coronavirus case
Horry County’s neighboring county in North Carolina announced its first presumptive positive case of coronavirus Friday night.
Brunswick County announced in a news release late Friday evening that it identified its first case of coronavirus, or COVID-19. The county has sent the results to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for final confirmation.
Brunswick County said the person is in self-isolation and is doing well. Health officials are monitoring the situation.
“We are in communication with the individual and the NC Department of Health and Human Services to follow the next steps in our response plan for this kind of situation,” Health and Human Services Director David Stanley said in a prepared statement. “All our efforts are being made with the utmost concern and care for the health and well-being of both this individual and the general public.”
The person with the presumptive positive case recently traveled to Louisiana, where the symptoms began. Upon returning home, the individual was still experiencing symptoms and consulted medical professionals. One other adult in the home has been self-quarantined.
Brunswick County stated it will not release any further information on the presumptive case in order to protect the individual’s identity. The county also noted that the presumptive positive case is isolated and coronavirus is not widespread there.
“We are encouraging our residents to remain calm, to continue to follow the health guidelines the state and county have recommended, and to follow our official channels for the most accurate, confirmed information about how coronavirus is impacting our county,” Stanley said. “We are continuing to monitor how novel coronavirus is impacting the state and county and will continue to keep our residents informed.”
The county later reported that the person with the positive case flew in to Wilmington International Airport on Tuesday. In the coming days health officials will reach out to people who may have been within 6 feet of the individual. Those who were might be asked to self-quarantine while monitoring potential symptoms.
Neighboring Horry County in South Carolina declared a state of emergency Saturday and moved to OPCON-2 out of precaution.
This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 11:13 AM.
