Wilkes County Reports Two More Deaths Related to COVID-19

The Wilkes County Health Department is reporting two more deaths associated with COVID-19 in Wilkes County.

The first individual died on 8/12 from complications associated with the virus. The patient was in their 70’s with underlying health conditions. The second death was a resident in their 80’s with underlying health conditions. These individuals are connected to the Westwood Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation outbreak. To protect the families’ privacy, no further information about these patients will be released.

Currently, Westwood Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation Center have 59 positive residents, 36 positive employees, and 7 deaths.

“On behalf of the Wilkes County Local Health Department and Government, we extend our deepest sympathy to the family”, stated Rachel Willard, Health Director. “This unfortunate situation is a reminder that we should continue to follow social distancing to protect ourselves and those around us, especially those who are at an increased risk, and who are most vulnerable.”

As of this afternoon Wilkes County has 898 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 722 recoveries, and 5 currently hospitalized. As of August 14th, NC DHHS is reporting 142,170 cases, 1,049 hospitalizations, and 2,313 deaths related to COVID-19. 

If you have symptoms consistent with COVID-19, we would recommend you be tested. This means if you are sick with a fever, cough or other mild symptoms, call your healthcare provider or Wilkes Health. Please do not just show up to a doctor’s office without calling first. This will help your provider prepare should you need to be tested and lessen the potential exposure to others.

If you have a medical emergency, please call 911 immediately.

Wilkes Health also wants to remind the public that community transmission is happening in Wilkes County. Every person is a potential carrier, even if no symptoms are present, so it’s urgent that every person -sick or healthy- stay home to the fullest extent possible and help break the chain of transmission. Wilkes Health wants to continue to encourage people to protect themselves to help lessen the spread of COVID-19 in our community. There are many ways we can all protect ourselves and our communities.

If you go out you should practice the three W’s: Wear, Wait, and Wash.

•Wear a face covering,

•Wait 6 feet apart from other people.

•Wash your hands often and

How to Protect Yourself

• Practice social distancing which means avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people, keeping 6 feet or more between you and others and remaining at home to the greatest extent possible
• Frequent hand washing
• Cover your cough or sneeze
• Keep distance from others who are sick
• Avoid touching your face
• Clean and disinfect high touch surfaces in common areas like doorknobs, remotes, lightswitches, tables and handles
• Wear cloth mask or face covering when out in public where you may be around people like grocery stores or pharmacies.

COVID-19 Signs & Symptoms

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure. According to the CDC, people with COVID-19 have had a wide range of reported symptoms.

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Chills
• Repeated shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell

People at high risk include anyone who:

• Is 65 years of age or older
• Lives in a nursing home or long-term care facility
• Have a high-risk condition that includes:
• Chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
• Heart disease with complications
• Compromised immune system
• Severe obesity – body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher
• Other underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, such as diabetes, renal failure or liver disease
• Pregnant Women

People who are at high risk should stay home to the greatest extent possible to decrease the chance of infection.

Additional Resources:

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.

North Carolina resources can be found on the Division of Public Health website at www.ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus. To view the case count for North Carolina, including a county map, please visit the NC DHHS website here.