►
Description
Buncombe County COVID-19 Community Update (April 30, 2020)
A
Good
afternoon
and
welcome
to
the
April
30th
community
update,
my
name
is
Stacy
wood
and
I'm.
A
public
information
officer
in
the
Emergency
Operations
Center
first
I
want
to
recognize
the
people
that
are
working
to
make
sure
that
the
information
that
we
share
in
these
updates,
as
we're
trying
to
reach
our
spanish-speaking
and
deaf
and
hard-of-hearing
residents,
are
recognized.
So
thank
you
to
Spanish
interpreters
from
some
salt
lay
language
justice
cooperative
and
to
the
American
sign
language,
interpreters,
Astrid,
licor,
volka
and
Regina
gente.
A
Today's
updates
come
from
dr.
Jennifer,
mullendore
interim
public
health,
director
browny
Newman,
chair
of
the
Buncombe
County
Board
of
Commissioners
Esther
Mannheimer,
mayor
of
Asheville
Fletcher,
Tove,
Buncombe,
County,
Public,
Health
preparedness,
director
and
dr.
William,
Hathaway
chief
medical
officer
for
Mission
health,
and
today
we
will
get
started
with
an
update
from
dr.
Mullen
door.
B
B
Today
we
have
several
new
and
exciting
developments
to
share
with
you.
The
first
is
the
Buncombe
County
Kovan
19
data.
Dashboard
second,
is
the
expanded
list
of
symptoms
for
kovat.
19
third
is
the
Buncombe
County,
Cova,
19
self,
checker
and
finally,
additional
information
on
how
to
access
testing
for
kovat
19.
B
At
this
time.
The
testing
data
shown
here
does
not
include
tests
conducted
in-house
at
Mission
Hospital,
which
has
been
almost
300
tests
to
date.
We
are
working
on
getting
that
information
added
to
the
dashboard,
so
when
I
do
all
the
math.
Currently,
we
are
aware
of
almost
2600
tests
that
have
been
performed
on
County
residents.
B
B
Now
they
also
include
at
least
two
of
the
following
symptoms:
fever
chills,
repeated
shaking
with
chills,
muscle,
pain,
headache
sore
throat
and
a
new
loss
of
taste
or
smell.
It
is
important
that
anyone
with
these
symptoms
be
evaluated
for
kovat
19,
and
the
next
thing
I
want
to
talk
to
you
about
the
Buncombe
County
kovat
19
self
checker
is
a
great
way
to
start
the
evaluation
process.
B
B
May
hex
Family
Health
Center
off
Hendersonville
Road
mercy,
urgent
care
centers
throughout
the
community
and
range
urgent
care
have
expanded
testing
at
this
time.
We
anticipate
that
additional
partners
will
come
on
board
as
testing
supplies
are
now
more
readily
available
and
guidance
for
providers
has
changed
to
encourage
more
testing.
B
B
B
C
Good
afternoon
I'm
brownie
Neumann,
chair
of
the
Buncombe
County
Commission,
on
March
12th
Buncombe
County,
declared
a
local
state
of
emergency
to
prepare
for
the
threat
of
Cova
19.
At
that
time
there
were
just
2200
documented
cases
of
koban
19
in
the
United
States.
Now
just
49
days
later,
there
are
more
than
1
million
documented
cases
and
more
than
60,000
people
have
lost
their
lives
as
a
result
of
code
19.
C
Thus
far
according
to
Mission
Hospital
about
25
residents
have
been
admitted
to
the
hospital
who
were
determined
to
be
positive
for
koba
19.
There
have
never
been
more
than
6
individuals
at
any
one
time
in
the
hospital
who
were
confirmed
to
have
coded
19,
and
the
number
of
cases
has
usually
been
between
two
and
four.
For
this
reason,
Buncombe
County
supports
mission
hospitals
plans
to
resume
some
medical
procedures
that
had
been
previously
placed
on
hold
to
assure
adequate
capacity
at
the
hospital.
C
Governor
Roy
Cooper
has
announced
plans
for
a
reopening
process
for
North
Carolina,
using
a
phased
approach
and
with
scientific
metrics.
That
can
be
tracked
to
assure
that
Cova
19
remains
in
check.
Today.
I
will
sign
a
revised
local
emergency
order
that
further
aligns
our
county
policy
with
the
overall
approach
being
taken
by
North
Carolina.
The
revisions
to
the
local
order
today
will
enable
the
revised
will
enable
the
revised
number
of
people
who
may
attend
a
community
gathering
from
zero
to
ten
consistent
with
the
North
Carolina
policy
and
with
requirements
for
social
distancing.
C
Governor
Cooper
has
announced
that
phase
one
of
reopening
could
occur
as
early
as
March
as
May
9th,
but
this
is
contingent
on
data
to
confirm
that
transmission
of
Kovan
19
is
leveling
off
or
declining
phase.
1
will
likely,
based
on
the
governor's
comments,
enabled
retail
businesses
to
resume
operations,
but
with
limitations
and
safeguards
phase
2
of
reopening
could
occur
within
two
to
three
weeks
after
phase
one
but
again
contingent
on
data
showing
that
kovin
19
trends
are
moving
in
a
favorable
direction.
C
One
area
where
Buncombe
County
will
need
to
continue
to
consider
specific
limits
on
reopening
is
for
leisure
tourism
due
to
the
popularity
of
Asheville
as
a
tourist
destination,
and
the
fact
that
many
areas
of
the
country,
including
neighboring
states,
have
extensive
spread
of
Cova
19
transmissions.
We
will
need
to
take
a
careful
and
gradual
approach
to
inviting
significant
numbers
of
people
from
outside
the
region
and
state
into
our
County.
C
The
current
prohibition
on
leisure
tourism
will
continue
during
phase
1
in
Buncombe
County,
but
is
expected
to
be
incrementally
relaxed
in
the
subsequent
phases.
We
hope
to
have
a
more
detailed
plan
that
can
be
shared
for
resuming
tourist
related
activities
in
the
near
future.
I
want
to
reiterate
my
thanks
to
all
the
people,
organizations
and
businesses
in
Buncombe
County
that
have
helped
our
community
stay
safe.
It
has
saved
lives.
If
we
continue
to
work
together,
we
will
be
able
to
bring
our
community
back
and
a
careful
and
responsible
way.
C
D
We
have
seen
that
social
distancing
and
the
shutdown
have
had
positive
health
results
and
are
working
to
slow
the
spread
of
koban
19.
We
want
to
see
those
positive
results
continue
and
not
go
to
waste.
In
response
to
this
public
health
crisis,
our
community
has
come
together
in
unprecedented
and
innovative
ways.
I
have
no
doubt
that
this
will
continue
as
we
move
forward.
D
City
staff
is
working
closely
with
Buncombe
County
health
officials
to
follow
the
plan
outlined
by
the
governor
as
to
how
we
can
safely
reopen
the
city
is
participating
in
a
series
of
virtual
town
halls,
led
by
the
Chamber
of
Commerce
and
the
county,
to
hear
directly
from
businesses
about
their
concerns
and
perspectives.
Hundreds
have
participated
in
discussions
about
reopening
in
this
new
normal.
This
includes
industry
groups
like
manufacturing,
child
care
and
adult
care.
D
The
arts,
restaurants,
health
care,
retail
and
lodging
I
want
to
thank
our
chamber
for
stepping
up
and
pulling
our
business
community
together
to
work
proactively,
to
figure
out
how
we
can
reopen
in
this
new
normal.
This
input
will
help
develop
clear
and
consistent
guidelines
to
keep
employees
and
customers
safe
as
we
look
toward
reopening
our
economy.
D
D
E
The
intent
of
this
new
order
is
to
more
closely
align
Buncombe
County
policy
with
that
of
the
state.
So,
as
we
begin
governor
Cooper's,
phased
approach
to
loosening
restrictions,
we
can
move
forward
and
lockstep
and
match
the
governor's
phases
and
messaging
going
forward.
We
intend
to
follow
the
governor's
lead
to
the
best
of
our
ability
in
reopening
our
communities,
but
we
will
always
reserve
the
ability
to
add
further
restrictions
in
the
best
interest
of
the
residents
of
Buckham
County.
E
E
This
relaxation
of
restrictions
does
not
allow
for
non-essential
businesses
to
reopen
we're
also
again
strongly
recommending
the
use
of
cloth
face
coverings
in
public
settings,
particularly
when
physical
distancing
measures
are
difficult
to
maintain.
We
know
that
many
people,
possibly
a
majority
of
people
who
have
covin
19,
may
be
transmitting
the
disease
without
ever
showing
any
symptoms.
E
Additionally,
people
coming
to
Buncombe
County
from
outside
the
state
must
still
quarantine
in
their
place
of
residence
for
14
days
prior
to
entering
the
community.
We
also
continue
to
restrict
governor
Cooper's
clause
to
c1
in
executive
order
121,
so
that
is
not
applicable
in
Buncombe
County
to
be
deemed
an
essential
business.
You
must
be
explicitly
defined
through
that
executive
order.
121.
E
E
From
limited
information
we
have
phase.
One
may
include
a
limited
opening
of
non-essential
retail
continued
use
of
face
coverings
and
gatherings
limits
in
no
more
than
ten
people
phase.
One
is
scheduled
to
last
for
two
to
three
weeks:
phase
two
will
see
the
governor
lifting
his
stay
at
home
order
and
limited
opening
of
restaurants
and
other
businesses,
limited
gatherings
at
houses
of
worship,
entertainment
venues
and
other
public
places.
Phase
two
is
scheduled
to
last
for
four
to
six
weeks.
E
E
So
everyone
should
be
in
the
mindset
that
reopening
is
not
a
problem
for
May
it's
an
ongoing
solution
that
will
be
a
gradual
process
through
May,
June
and
July.
As
we
receive
specifics
on
reopening
from
the
governor
in
the
state
kovat
19
task
force,
we
will
push
that
information
to
the
community
in
an
informative
manner,
so
that
everyone
can
start
their
planning
and
preparation
processes.
Thank
you.
A
F
Thank
You
Stacy
I
greatly
appreciate
the
opportunity
to
participate
in
this
press
conference
today
and
to
do
so
remotely
in
an
effort
to
minimize
the
community
spread
of
the
disease.
We're
trying
to
restrict
all
of
our
own
travel
and
I
hope
that
this
is
in
one
small
way,
an
example
to
the
community
of
how
important
it
is
to
do
that.
I
want
to
give
a
special
thanks
to
those
who
have
spoken
before
me
and
all
who
have
been
an
intimate
part
of
our
community's
response
to
the
Cova
19
crisis.
F
F
It's
been
heartwarming
to
see
this
I
want
to
start
out
by,
emphasizing
that
we
fully
and
100%
support
the
phased
approach
that
has
been
reiterated
here
by
those
who
have
spoken
and
by
Governor
Cooper.
While
we
have
meaningfully
flattened
the
curve,
I
think
it
is
critically
important
to
remember
that
we
have
not
eliminated
the
virus.
F
Personal
and
professional
to
keep
our
community
safe
I
want
to
specifically
address
the
issue
of
resuming
or
trying
to
get
back
to
a
new
normal
with
respect
to
the
delivery
of
health
care
services
in
our
community
and
by
this
I
mean
the
18
county
region.
As
you
know,
we
have
been
holding
off
on
what
have
been
referred
to
as
non-essential
or
non
koban
related
care
and
I
think
it's
important
to
recognize
why
we
chose
to
do
that
over
a
month
ago.
F
Specifically,
at
that
time,
we
had
an
unknown
wave
of
patients
coming
at
us,
and
we
concerned
about
critical
availability
of
resources,
including
tests
and
personal
protective
equipment.
We
were
concerned
about
the
possibility
of
not
having
enough
beds
both
acute
care
and
critical
care
beds
to
care
for
our
patients.
We
did
not
want
to
have
patients
unnecessarily
exposed
to
the
illness,
and
we
were
really
at
a
time
where
we
had
uncertainty
about
what
was
approaching
us,
and
so
in
an
effort
to
conserve
those
resources
and
be
prepared
for
the
unknown
epidemic.
F
We
held
off
on
performing
a
variety
of
services.
Well,
what
we've
learned
so
far
in
Commissioner
Newman
commented
on
this
we've
seen
between
20
and
25
patients
at
Mission
Hospital
to
date,
which
was
far
less
than
we
had
anticipated.
Our
elective
volumes
and
other
acute
care
volumes
have
declined
considerably
and
we
have
been
running
at
a
census
in
the
neighborhood
of
50
to
60%
capacity.
F
With
this,
as
you
know,
we
have
imposed
a
significant
restriction
on
access
for
visitors
to
the
hospital
and
in
the
interest
of
being
stewards
of
the
community
and
not
exposing
people
to
unnecessary
risk.
We
will
continue
to
have
what
we
refer
to
as
level
3
restrictions
in
place
for
most
of
our
patients
at
the
hospital,
with
the
exception
that
they'll
be
some
minor
variations
for
patients
who
are
receiving
procedural
procedures
when
those
procedures
are
scheduled
through
your
doctors
and
your
doctor's
offices.
F
The
details
will
be
related
to
you,
but
I
want
to
emphasize
that,
while
we
think
it's
critically
important
to
provide
the
care
that
was
delayed,
the
necessary
care
that
was
delayed
in
no
way
do
we
think
we're
as
to
use
the
colloquialism
out
of
the
woods
on
this
one.
Yet
I
think
it's
important
to
reassure
the
community
that
hospitals
are
a
very
safe
place
to
go.
I
had
conversations
with
my
colleagues
at
the
party
UNC
system,
doctor
David
Ellis
and
at
the
admin
system,
with
Park
Ridge
hospital
with
dr.
F
Theresa
Herbert
this
morning,
and
just
as
we
are
increasing
our
provision
of
care.
So
are
they
and
we
want
to
all
reassure
the
community
that
it
is
a
safe
place
to
go?
We
we
have
means
and
methods
to
protect
patients
from
being
exposed,
while
in
the
hospital,
and
it
is
far
more
dangerous
to
delay
care
than
it
is
to
come.
The
hospitals
get
needed
services,
and
this
not
only
applies
to
the
services
that
we're
going
to
resume,
but
it
applies
perhaps
even
more
importantly,
to
emergency
services.
F
An
exposure
to
COBIT
19
I
can
emphatically
and
without
hesitation,
state
that,
if
you
are
having
acute
care,
issues
be
be
related
to
your
cardiac
system,
neurovascular
system,
heart
attacks
or
strokes,
breathing
that
it
is
far
more
important
for
you
to
come
to
the
hospital
to
get
that
emergency
care
than
to
delay
it.
And
then,
in
closing,
I'd
like
to
just
comment
on
one
issue
that
came
up
in
the
press.
Recently,
it's
regarding
the
treatment
of
kovat,
19
and
I.
F
Think
many
are
aware
that
there
was
breaking
news
yesterday
about
the
use
of
the
drug
Ramdev.
Severe
REM
des
aveer
is
a
medication
administered
to
patients
with
kovat
19.
It
has
been
shown
in
a
reasonably
and
well
conducted
trial
to
in
a
to
decrease
the
duration
of
symptoms
for
patients
with
kovin
19
from
an
average
of
15
days
down
to
11
days,
and
there
is
a
trend
in
a
tendency
for
this
to
maybe
even
have
a
benefit
in
saving
lives,
and
we
are
very
encouraged
by
this.
F
In
terms
of
how
we
deal
with
this
illness,
we
are
still
critically
dependent
on
the
physical
distancing
that
all
have
mentioned
before
and
I
want
to
encourage
patients
to
encourage
community
members
to
continue
to
adhere
to
the
guideline
as
we
phase
out
of
the
restrictions
that
have
been
put
into
place.
Thank
you.
A
In
closing,
we
have
a
request
from
our
nonprofit
partner,
United
Way
of
Asheville
and
Buckham
County.
There
are
needs
in
the
community
for
cleaning
supplies,
non-perishable
pantry
food
items,
hand,
sanitizer
and
there's
also
a
need
for
individuals
or
businesses
with
the
ability
to
provide
supplies
or
the
ability
to
sew
cloth
masks.
And
if
you
have
the
ability
to
provide
these
items
or
provide
the
service,
please
visit
hands
on
Asheville,
dot,
org
and
click
on
the
Cova
19
page
and
once
you're.
There
click
on
the
I'll
give
in-kind
donations
button.