UPDATE: 3/12/2020 11:30am:
The Mecklenburg County Health Director has just announced that 2 individuals have tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19 in Mecklenburg County, bringing the total number of cases to 14 in North Carolina and 24 across the Carolinas.
Original Article: 3/12/2020 10:30am:
There are now a total number of of 22 cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 throughout the Carolinas. North Carolina is under a State of Emergency and an increasing number of businesses, schools, and event organizers are telling people to stay home.
This morning, the North Carolina COVID-19’s task force announced that the number of infected individuals has risen to 12 in North Carolina, with the addition of 2 new cases in Forsyth County and 1 new case in Johnston County.
Yesterday in South Carolina, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced a new case of COVID-19 in a Lancaster County woman, who had no known travel outside the state or known contact with any other infected individuals.
This brings the total number of cases in South Carolina to 10.
School districts across the Carolinas, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools have decided to suspend all field trips until further notice.
UNC Schools will be moving a large portion of their classes online.
The NBA has suspended all future games, including all Hornets games, and the NCAA has announced that March Madness games will be played without live fans.
A number of events throughout the Charlotte region have also been canceled in light of the coronavirus pandemic, including; the NC Realtor conference, The Fort Mill Spring Festival and Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, the 2020 Audubon NC Summit, the Banking Institute conference, among others.
According to the CDC, patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection have reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of:
- fever
- cough
- shortness of breath
CDC believes at this time that symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 after exposure. This is based on what has been seen previously as the incubation period of MERS viruses.
Some of the best ways to protect against the coronavirus include;
- Wash your hands often with antiviral soap, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are are coughing or sneezing.
- Using NAC (N-acetyl L-cysteine)
- Using probiotics (especially those containing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium)
- Immunity boosting vitamins, including; zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin D3
If you have any questions about COVID-19 you can call 866-462-3821 or submit questions online at ncpoisoncontrol.org.