NC’s new COVID-19 alert system says most of the Triangle is yellow. What does that mean?
Gov. Roy Cooper introduced a new county alert system Tuesday to help mitigate COVID-19 spread at the county level.
By placing all 100 counties in one of three tiers — red, orange or yellow — the state is identifying which counties should be monitored for high numbers of cases, positive coronavirus tests and hospital impact.
In terms of severity, red means critical spread, orange means substantial, and yellow means significant.
This month, Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham and Franklin counties are classified as yellow. Johnston is the only county in the greater Triangle area that’s classified as orange.
Cooper said the new system will be used to assess what can be done to slow the spread of the coronavirus, either by enforcing existing regulations or by working with state health leaders to come up with new strategies.
The county alert system will be updated monthly.
What do the color codes mean?
Color codes are determined by: case rate, which is the number of new cases per 100,000 people; percent positive, which is the percent of COVID-19 tests that return positive; and hospital impact, which is based on the number of hospitalizations, how many staffed hospital beds are open, critical staff shortages and COVID-19-related visits to emergency departments.
All of this data is measured over the previous 14 days to determine county classification.
The metrics are used by the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
Every county in the Triangle, except Johnston, is classified as yellow. A county classified as yellow has significant viral spread, meaning that the county falls below the threshold of red or orange.
▪ Red means there is critical community spread. Counties have a case rate of over 200 per 100,000 people and either a percent positive rate of over 10% or a high impact on county hospitals.
▪ Orange means there is critical community spread. Counties have a case rate between 101 and 200 per 100,000 people and either a percent positive rate between 8% and 10% or a moderate impact on county hospitals.
Yellow counties are the least severe in terms of coronavirus spread, but there is still significant spread in those counties.
“This county alert system shows our viral hotspots,” Cooper said at Tuesday’s press conference. “But let me be clear, the whole state is experiencing widespread transmission. Cases across the country are surging, forcing states to go backward.
“Right now our metrics are increasing, not surging. But a surge can happen quickly.”
What are the specific metrics for each county in the Triangle?
Metrics over the last 14 days that determine how each county in the Triangle ranks are as follows:
Wake
- 280.8 new cases per 100,000 people
- 5.6% of cases returned positive
- Low impact on county hospitals
Durham
- 312.9 new cases per 100,000 people
- 6.1% of cases returned positive
- Low impact on county hospitals
Orange
- 235.1 new cases per 100,000 people
- 3.3% of cases returned positive
- Low impact on county hospitals
Chatham
- 271.3 new cases per 100,000 people
- 6.3% of cases returned positive
- Low impact on county hospitals
Franklin
- 302.8 new cases per 100,000 people
- 6.8% of cases returned positive
- Low impact on county hospitals
Johnston
- 339.6 new cases per 100,000 people
- 8.7% of cases returned positive
- Low impact on county hospitals
What happens now that Johnston is classified as orange?
The increase in metrics in Johnston County are due to outbreaks and social gatherings, said Lu Hickey, public information officer at the Johnston County Public Health Department.
“There’s been an increase in our cases over the past few weeks,” Hickey told The News & Observer in an email.
“There’s community-wide spread,” Hickey said. “We’ve got more testing opportunities, and more people are getting tested, which is contributing to our increase.”
There are currently six active outbreaks at congregate living facilities in the county as of Tuesday, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. From those outbreaks, there 85 cases and two deaths.
As part of a push for people to get tested before Thanksgiving, the state health department announced more free COVID-19 community testing events this weekend.
That includes test sites in seven counties, including Durham and Johnston counties. Walk-up and drive-thru testing will be offered Nov. 20-22 at select Carlie C’s IGA, Compare Foods, Food Lion and Target stores. In Johnston County, there will be a site at Food Lion in Princeton Nov. 20 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
People do not need to have symptoms to get tested. They do not need to have insurance or identification documents.
How can a red or orange county slow the spread of COVID-19?
For those in Johnston County, or any other red or orange county, there are several recommendations from the state for individuals, public officials and businesses to work to change their county’s metrics, in addition to the 3 W’s: wear a mask, wait 6 feet and wash your hands.
Individuals should limit their interactions with others, except for activities like going to work, school, grocery stores, caring for others and medical reasons.
Hickey said the health department recommends that everyone in Johnston County follow these guidelines to mitigate spread in the county.
People in red and orange counties should also get take out or sit outside if they go to restaurants, and they should avoid crowded settings like bars. You should also reduce the people you see outside of your own household.
Businesses are encouraged to use teleworking if possible for employees and cancel non-essential travel. Religious and community leaders are urged not to hold indoor meetings and events that exceed state limits.
Is this a mandate?
The new alert system only serves as guidance. It will be up to the mayor, city council, county commissioners, business leaders, faith leaders and community leaders to implement restrictions and enforce existing rules if needed in their counties.
The state is asking public officials in red and orange counties to consider expanding free COVID-19 testing, pass ordinances to create civil penalties for statewide order violations, increase enforcement of gathering size and setting the alcohol curfew earlier than the statewide rule of 11 p.m.
“We think that a renewed effort here to focus on enforcement, to focus on what is already in the law with occupancy limits, with mask wearing, with gatherings ... We believe that that’s going to work better right now to try to curb the numbers than just simply adding another layer,” Cooper said.
“But if we continue to see the numbers increase, we may have to do a combination of both of these things. So this is a good point today to renew our efforts to make sure that we’re enforcing what we have out there and to get more community buy-in.”
This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 3:10 PM with the headline "NC’s new COVID-19 alert system says most of the Triangle is yellow. What does that mean?."