►
Description
Press Conference from Buncombe County Government focusing on keeping our communities updated on COVID-19 within our County. For up-to-date, accurate information on COVID-19 in our communities you can visit buncombecounty.org/bcready.
A
Good
afternoon
today
is
March
21st
2020.
Today's
media
briefing
ANCOVA
19,
responds
in
Buncombe.
County
also
includes
representation
from
Henderson
County,
as
we
are
all
joined
in
the
effort
to
stop
the
spread
of
Kovan
19
throughout
our
region
and
nation.
We
are
joined
today
by
Steve
Smith
with
Henderson
County
Health
Department.
He
is
the
Health
Director
for
bunkum
I
mean
Henderson
County,
Health
Department.
So
today
we
will
be
airing
the
this
live
on.
The
Buncombe
County
government,
Facebook
page
through
a
Facebook
live
event.
A
Today
we
have
and
the
order
the
agenda
for
today
is
dr.
Jennifer
mullendore,
the
Buncombe
County
medical
director
and
intern
Public
Health
Director
Steve
Smith,
Henderson,
County,
Public,
Health
Director,
dr.
William,
Hathaway
mission,
health
chief,
medical
officer,
who
will
be
joining
us
remotely:
Taylor
Jones,
Buncombe,
County,
Emergency,
Services,
director
and
Fletcher
t'v
Buncombe
County
Health
and
Human
Services
Public
Health
preparedness
director.
We
reached
out
to
our
media
partners
to
gather
the
most
frequently
asked
questions
in
advance
of
this
event
and
have
tried
to
incorporate
them
into
our
talking
points
today.
So
at
this
point,
dr.
B
Good
afternoon,
dr.
Jennifer,
mullendore
Buncombe
County
interim
health
director
earlier
today,
Buncombe
County,
Health
and
Human
Services
was
notified
of
test
results,
identifying
the
first
known
case
of
kovat
19
in
a
Buncombe
County
resident
this
morning,
Buncombe
County
communicable
disease
staff
contacted
the
individual
informing
them
of
their
result
and
attained
obtained
information
on
their
close
contacts
and
whereabouts.
During
the
time
period
of
interest,
the
individual
remains
at
home
under
isolation
where
they
have
been
since
being
tested
earlier
in
the
week.
B
The
investigation
is
actively
underway
to
identify
the
source
of
this
person's
illness
and
to
identify
close
contacts
who
are
at
risk
of
becoming
sick
with
kovat
19.
These
close
contacts
will
be
notified
as
soon
as
possible
and
issued
guidance
on
monitoring
themselves
for
symptoms
and
when
to
seek
medical
care.
As
of
10:30.
This
morning,
the
North
Carolina
Department
of
Health
and
Human
Services
website
reported
184
cases
of
kovat
19
in
North
Carolina.
This
number
does
not
reflect
this
new
case
identified
in
Buncombe
County.
B
Just
days
ago,
the
first
known
case
of
community
transmission
of
kovat
19
in
North
Carolina,
was
reported
in
Wilson
County
during
the
coming
week.
We
are
expecting
the
results
of
hundreds
of
tests
for
kovat
19
that
have
been
collected
on
Buncombe
County
residents.
We
anticipate
that
additional
cases
of
kovat
19
will
be
identified
in
our
county.
B
We
expect
that
some
of
those
cases
will
be
identified
in
individuals
who
did
not
travel
to
a
highly
impacted
area
and
did
not
have
close
contact
with
someone
known
to
be
infected
with
kovat
19,
the
mess
we
have
been
sharing
and
the
actions
Buncombe
County
has
taken
over
the
past.
Several
weeks
have
been
focused
on
preventing
and
minimizing
the
spread
of
this
infection
in
our
in
our
community.
B
It
is
critically
important
that
everyone
followed
this
guidance
to
protect
themselves,
their
family
and
friends,
their
co-workers,
their
customers
and
our
entire
community.
I
cannot
emphasize
how
important
these
measures
are.
We
must
all
do
our
part,
the
actions
we
all
take
matter.
If
you
are
sick,
please
stay
home
away
from
others.
B
If
you
are
over
the
age
of
65
have
a
chronic
health
condition
like
heart
or
lung
disease
or
diabetes,
or
a
weakened
immune
system.
Please
stay
home
away
from
others
as
much
as
possible.
Most
people
who
become
ill
with
kovat
19
develop
a
mild
illness
that
can
be
managed
safely
at
home.
If
you
develop
fever
and
cough
or
difficulty
breathing,
please
call
your
health
care
provider
or
an
urgent
care
first
before
going
to
the
clinic,
if
you
are
critically
ill
call
911
dispatcher
what
symptoms
you
are
having.
B
If
you
have
general
concerns
about
kovat
19,
please
visit
Buncombe,
reddy
org.
If
you
are
a
Buncombe
County
resident
who
does
not
have
a
health
care
provider
and
you
have
symptoms
of
kovat
19
and
have
questions
and
concerns,
you
may
call
a
Buncombe
County
commutable
disease
nurse
at
two
five:
zero.
Five,
three
zero
zero
I
will
now
turn
it
over.
C
D
Thank
you.
Dr.
mullendore
I
certainly
appreciate
the
opportunity
to
participate
with
this
session
today.
I
hope
the
general
public
is
aware
that
there
are
incredible
relationships
between
public
health
throughout
the
counties
in
our
region,
as
well
as
with
our
healthcare
partners.
For
years
we
have
understood
that
communicable
disease,
it's
not
stopped
at
the
county
line,
so
those
partnerships
have
generated
a
lot
of
benefit
in
terms
of
how
we
collectively
address
those
challenges.
D
D
Henderson
County
has
been
preparing
for
this
reality
and
anticipated
that
our
community
would
likely
be
impacted
at
some
point,
Public
Health
staff
have
already
initiated
an
investigation
and
will
be
identifying
close
contacts
to
contain
the
spread
of
disease.
It's
important
for
everyone
out
there
to
understand
that
the
identification
of
a
case
does
not
change
our
local
strategies
for
preventing
and
reducing
the
spread
of
disease.
Above
all
else,
please
isolate
yourself
at
home.
If
you
are
sick,
coronavirus,
symptoms
include
fever,
cough
shortness
of
breath.
D
If
you
experience
these
symptoms,
please
call
your
health
care
provider
and
follow
their
advice.
If
you
are
having
a
medical
emergency
call
9-1-1
and
inform
the
dispatcher
that
you
have
symptoms
and
continue
to
remember
that
80%
of
coronavirus
cases
typically
generate
only
mild
symptoms.
I
do
want
to
talk
a
moment
about
the
amount
of
information
that
has
been
pushed
out
to
the
public
in
the
past.
It's
a
lot
to
digest
and
process,
but
I
want
to
start
talking
today
in
a
different
way
about
those
protective
measures.
D
You've
heard
things
like
wash
your
hands
frequently
coffin
to
your
elbow
social
distancing.
Those
strategies
have
been
paired
with
state-level
decisions
which
create
a
lot
of
disruption
but
necessary
for
things
like
school
closures.
In
now,
closing
restaurants
and
bars
I
think
what's
important
to
understand
today
with
cases
in
our
midst
that
all
of
the
collective
benefit
of
those
strategies
today
will
not
achieve
the
maximum
benefit
for
us
today.
D
If
people
do
not
stay
home,
while
they
are
sick,
if
we
continue
to
have
to
address
a
spread
that
can
be
prevented,
we
will
be
compromised
and
I
mean
public
health
and
our
health
care
partners
in
achieving
the
best
possible
outcomes.
I
want
to
be
blunt
and
frank
about
this
point
and
I'm
certainly
directing
this
to
my
jurisdiction.
Dr.
mullendore
I've
been
asking
you
about
this
and
I've
been
recommending
this,
but
today
I
am
telling
you
to
stay
home.
You
are
sick.
D
C
Thank
you
very
much
mr.
Smith,
and
thank
you
dr.
mullendore,
for
your
very
thoughtful
comment.
I
want
to
echo
as
much
as
I
can
the
sentiments
expressed
our
need
to
limit
the
spread
of
this
disease
and
flatten
the
curve
we
are
confirming,
along
with
the
two
County
representatives
here,
that
these
patients
came
through
our
facilities
and
received
care
according
to
guidelines
in
the
best
practice
that's
available,
we
don't
comment
any
more
detail
about
their
status,
so
I'm
sure
you
can
appreciate
that
again.
C
Just
to
echo
the
community-wide
need
to
be
hyper
attentive
to
staying
home
in
limiting
context
with
other
people
to
avoid
transmission
of
this
virus
throughout
the
community.
That
is
the
single
most
important
thing
that
can
be
done
for
us
right
now
to
allow
the
Health
System
to
both
ours
and
others
to
accommodate
the
patients
which
we
expect
to
see.
I
do
want
to
say
that
this
is
not
a
day
that
we
did
not
expect,
and
those
of
us
who
have
been
waiting.
C
The
test
results
for
some
time
fully
knew
that
some
of
them
would
be
positive.
I
suspect
we
will
see
more
positives
in
the
immediate
future.
As
the
test
results
returned,
that
is
something
that
we've
all
been
preparing
for
and
and
with
a
little
bit
of
luck,
we
will
be
able
to
handle
this
all
together.
Thank
you.
E
Good
afternoon
I'm
telling
jokes
directed
Buncombe
County
emergency
services
I've
been
continually
impressed
on
how
our
community
and
staff
has
come
together
to
serve
our
citizens.
During
this
rapidly
changing
pandemic
crisis,
our
County
Emergency
Services
team
and
our
first
responders
have
been
coordinating
with
the
public
health
team
to
plan.
For
this
event,
we
are
now
actively
engaging
with
our
Emergency
Operations
Center
neighboring
communities,
as
well
as
our
state
and
federal
partners
to
meet
the
needs
of
Buncombe
County
in
Western.
E
North
Carolina
I
want
to
take
time
to
thank
our
leadership,
the
municipalities,
the
community
partners,
the
Emergency
Operations
Center
and
its
staff,
and
also
the
first
responders
for
their
efforts.
They
are
providing
our
residents
with
vital
services
that
will
continue
to
support
the
health
and
safety
of
our
community.
Over
the
coming
months,
the
community
will
see
changes
and
our
first
responders
and
how
they
answer
9-1-1
calls.
We
will
promote
best
practices
to
reduce
the
exposure
to
our
first
responders
and
to
our
most
vulnerable
citizens.
E
E
E
Our
community
should
focus
on
the
mindset
of
one
bumpkin
doing
our
best
to
promote
social
distancing
while
using
our
technologies
to
outreach
to
our
neighbors
and
our
most
vulnerable
population,
we're
going
to
rise
to
this
occasion
to
meet
all
challenges
of
this
crisis.
That
is
what
North,
Carolinians
and
Americans.
Do
we
stand
up
and
help
our
neighbors
I
will
hand
it
to
pledged
oppose
our
Mercy's
on
preparedness
coordinator
for
public
health.
F
Good
afternoon
Fletcher
Tov
Volcom
county
public
health,
emergency
preparedness
director.
There
are
three
points:
I
want
to
emphasize
today.
First,
the
importance
of
next,
the
next
few
weeks
in
our
response
efforts.
Second,
the
importance
of
following
the
guidance
of
public
health
officials
and
third,
how
we're
all
going
to
get
through
this
together.
F
This
is
our
first
positive
case
in
the
Volcom
County
resident.
Our
individual
actions
over
the
next
few
weeks
are
absolutely
critical
in
preventing
the
spread
of
covin
19
through
our
mountain
home.
This
is
a
call
to
action.
Everyone
in
our
community
is
responsible
and
has
a
part
to
play
and
slow
in
the
spread
of
kovat
19.
Our
best
tools
in
this
effort
occur
at
an
individual
level.
F
Welcome
County,
Public
Health
is
continually
evaluating
the
latest
guidance
and
data
from
experts
around
to
globe
to
determine
the
actions
that
are
best
for
Buncombe
County
We
are
fortunate
to
have
some
of
the
most
talented
and
capable
emergency
responders
and
health
professionals
in
the
state,
but
they
need
you
to
help
them
in
their
response
efforts
right
now.
Our
most
effective
measures
for
slowing
the
spread
of
Kovan
19
are
staying
home.
If
you
are
sick,
washing
your
hands,
cleaning,
high
contact
surfaces
and
keeping
our
distance
and
avoiding
close
contact.
F
F
This
affects
all
of
us,
and
this
is
the
time
to
come
together
as
one
Buncombe.
Our
county
motto
is
people
to
match
our
mountains.
We
are
strong.
We
are
resilient
when
times
are
hard,
we
always
lend
a
hand.
Look
out
for
those
with
less
and
pull
our
resources
to
make
sure
our
neighbors
are
getting
by
just
as
our
mighty
mountains
provide
shelter
and
a
sense
of
calm.
Our
community
does
the
same
in
these
times
of
need
together,
we
will
get
through
this.