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From YouTube: COVID-19 Community Update (Oct. 19, 2021)
Description
Public Health Director Stacie Saunders presented the COVID-19 Community Update to Commissioners during their Briefing on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021.
A
In
that
same
time,
since
july,
1
we've
recorded
over
80
new
covert
19
related
deaths
in
our
families,
our
neighbors
and
our
friends.
Now
bringing
our
total
to
412,
coveted
19
related
deaths
since
the
pandemic
started
in
terms
of
our
local
metrics,
which
are
on
the
screens.
Now
we
are
continuing
to
see
a
decline
in
our
cases,
seeing
a
drop
in
the
case
rate
from
198
to
162
this
week
again.
This
is
a
very
hopeful
sign,
but
we
continue
to
say
that
these
levels
are
not
yet
at
a
very
desirable
or
low
level.
A
A
A
This
is
very
hopeful
that
we
will
soon
see
the
same,
encouraging
trend
in
our
death
rate
as
well.
So
the
bottom
line
here
with
our
metrics
that
buncombe
county
is
still
an
area
with
high
transmission,
despite
the
decrease
in
case
rates
that
we're
seeing
we're
just
not
seeing
them
at
levels
low
enough
yet
at
this
time.
A
A
So
what
has
consistently
been
true
is
that
our
ages,
25
to
49
year
old,
continue
to
make
up
the
majority
of
our
new
cases
and
individuals
less
than
18
years
old,
who
are
10
to
17
year
olds,
are
making
up
right
now
about
24
of
all
new
cases.
This
has
been
also
rather
stable
for
the
last
several
weeks,
and
as
mentioned
before
in
previous
briefings,
the
lowest
burden
of
cases
is
actually
in
our
oldest
population,
which
also
happens
to
be
our
most
vaccinated
population.
A
I
wanted
to
take
a
moment
to
highlight
vaccination
status
on
covet
19
outcomes,
as
we
are
continuing
to
move
through
this
delta
surge
vaccination
status
did
matter
and
still
does
matter,
in
particular
those
who
were
unvaccinated
had
a
risk
over
four
times
that
of
a
vaccinated
person
to
become
ill.
Additionally,
in
what
you
see
on
your
screens
right
now,
the
overwhelmingly
overwhelming
majority
of
hospitalizations,
that
is
over
85
percent
and
almost
86
percent
and
icu
utilization,
that
is
almost
90
percent,
were
in
the
unvaccinated
population.
A
This,
I
believe,
is
showing
us
that
cova
19
vaccine
that
is
available
to
us
right
now
is
reducing
our
risk
of
becoming
ill.
It's
reducing
our
risk
of
serious
illness
should
somebody
contract
the
virus,
meaning
it
keeps
us
out
of
the
hospital
and
significantly
reduces
the
risk
of
the
need
for
icu
intervention.
A
A
Since
that
time,
it's
actually
been
relatively
stable
with
us,
reaching
anywhere
between
400
and
600
doses,
total
doses
each
week,
with
the
exception
being
that
first
that
first
week
that
we
had
the
pfizer
boosters
available,
which
was
september
27th
when
we
saw
the
highest
demand
for
those
boosters
and
had
over
a
thousand
doses.
Given
total
doses,
given
that
week.
A
As
a
community,
amongst
all
vaccine
providers
and
all
vaccine
efforts,
we
have
reached
73
percent
of
adults
having
received
at
least
one
dose
of
vaccine,
and
when
we
look
at
the
eligible
population,
that
is
those
who
are
12
years
and
older.
We
have
reached
71
percent
of
those
eligible
having
received
at
least
one
dose,
and
we
anticipate
five
to
11
year
olds
to
be
to
be
discussed
at
an
upcoming
fda
meeting,
which
is
scheduled
for
october
26th
and
may
see
their
eligibility
as
early
as
the
first
weeks
of
november.
A
A
You
can
also
visit
us
at
our
40
cox
location,
where
we
are
giving
out
first,
second,
third
and
booster
doses,
and
there
is
a
multitude
of
vaccine
providers
in
our
community
now
at
your
grocery
stores
and
your
corner
pharmacies,
and
maybe
even
at
your
primary
care
doctors
and
so
just
wanted
to
take
a
second
to
remind
our
community
that
there
is
a
cova
19
vaccine
waiting
for
you
at
any
one
of
those
providers.
A
Please
don't
risk
getting
the
illness
gambling
with
kova
19
can
be
detrimental
to
you
and
devastating
to
your
family.
So
just
wanted
to
take
a
moment
to
remind
everybody
that,
additionally,
as
they
as
folks,
are
thinking
about
their
first
dose
if
they
haven't
already
gotten
one
to
take
a
moment
to.
Let
folks
know
that
delta
variant
is
still
widely
circular
circulating
around
us
and
as
that's
occurring,
we
are
also
entering
cold
and
flu
season,
and
at
this
time
we
are
seeing
very
little
flu.
A
But
that
means
it's
a
really
great
time
if
you
haven't
already
gotten
your
flu
vaccine
to
go
and
get
your
flu
vaccine,
but
we
are
seeing
some
cold
virus
circulating.
However,
overwhelmingly.
What
is
circulating
right
now
is
a
delta
variant
of
the
novel
coronavirus
and
so
in
terms
of
respiratory
illnesses.
A
Please,
if
you
start
to
have
symptoms,
please
get
tested,
don't
make
an
assumption
that
you
have
a
cold
right
now.
The
most
overwhelming
thing
that
is
circulating
is
the
delta
variant,
so
please
get
tested
and
you
can
find
a
testing
provider
by
searching,
find
my
testing
find
my
testing
place
website.
You
can
visit
hera's
event
center
monday
through
friday.
I
believe
it's
from
10
to
2
to
get
tested,
and
we
also
still
have
a
state
supported
testing
site
on
sundays,
at
ap
tech.
A
So,
a
couple
weeks
ago,
we
went
over
in
detail
all
of
the
vaccine
efforts
that
we
have
been
undertaking
for
the
last
several
months,
with
a
focus
on
efforts
this
summer
and
into
the
fall
and
just
going
to
review
and
update
those
efforts.
Today,
as
we
are
nearing
the
end
of
our
30-day
campaign
and
actively
planning
for
our
younger
children
to
be
eligible.
A
So
just
to
recap,
here:
total
doses,
administered
by
buncombe,
county
hhs
and
emergency
management
is
at
over
102
000
at
this.
At
this
time
we
still
have
our
fixed
site
operations,
which
I
just
mentioned
a
few
minutes
ago.
Our
summer
outreach
we
did
reach
62
outreach
events
through
june
to
august
the
when
fletch
presented
those
to
you.
You
saw
those
sort
of
put
out
each
month,
our
homebound
and
at-home
vaccination
efforts.
A
We've
given
out
231
doses
since
march
boosters
began
the
week
of
october
11th
and
we're
getting
and
partnering
and
have
support
through
paramedics.
For
that
our
long-term
care
for
facilities.
If
you'll
remember,
there
were
quite
a
few
long-term
care
facilities
that
the
buncombe
county
hhs
did
do,
mobilization
of
vaccine
boosters
are
set
to
begin
for.
Those
groups
october
25th
and
we'll
be
supporting
about
two
facilities
per
week.
A
Our
booster
site
at
biltmore
church
arden
campus,
that
began,
as
I
mentioned
earlier
september,
27th
over
1500
doses,
were
administered
in
the
first
three
weeks.
We
did
see
demand
wane
after
our
first
week
and
it
has
continued
to
go
incrementally
down
since
then
that
we've
had
also
a
successful
partnership
with
the
mexican
consulate
the
week
of
october,
4th
at
the
booster
site,
really
for
a
focus
of
first
doses.
A
So
folks,
who
were
visiting
first
for
support
and
resources
that
the
mexican
consulate
of
it
was
providing
could
come
and
get
their
first
dose
at
our
booster
site
and
if
folks
also
needed
to
get
their
booster,
their
booster
dose,
they
could
get
it
there
as
well.
A
We
reached
over
40
individuals
for
four
first
doses
during
that
week
through
that
partnership,
and
I
just
want
to
have
a
special
thanks
to
zoe
and
pofu
from
our
buncombe
county
hhs
team,
and
also
carolina
salacio
perez
from
our
buncombe
county
team
and
our
partners
at
the
w.
I'm
sorry,
the
ywmca
for
helping
us
support
that
event.
A
A
A
They
coach,
sometimes
our
youth
athletics
and
go
to
the
same
football
games
we're
going
to
so
we
really
continued
the
vaccine,
outreach
events
here,
building
on
the
success
that
we
had
seen
with
partnering
with
our
school
systems
and
schools
being
a
very
familiar
and
trusted
place
in
our
neighborhoods,
they
are
often
very
central
to
our
daily
lives
and,
of
course,
our
friday
nights.
So
we've
had
quite
a
bit
of
success
there,
partnering
with
our
schools
and
continue
to
do
that.
Our
last
event
is
scheduled
for
owen
middle
on
october.
A
A
If
the
fda
does
put
forth
a
recommendation
for
authorization,
we
still
have
mult
other
steps
to
go.
It
still
will
require
the
asip
and
the
cdc
to
put
forth
their
recommendations
as
well
after
that
fda
recommendation,
and
so,
as
I
said
earlier,
we
are
anticipating
that
in
the
early
days
of
november,
to
have
eligibility
for
that
group.
When
that
does
occur.
A
We've
already
started
planning
for
modifying
our
operations
at
our
40
cox
location
in
the
week
prior,
so
that
our
existing
staff
will
be
available
for
saturday
outreach,
so
we'll
be
running
a
tuesday
through
friday
operation
at
40
cox
9
to
4,
which
gives
us
saturdays
to
be
able
to
do
outreach
and
allows
us
to
have
that
monday
as
a
flex
day
and
allow
our
staff
still
the
same
amount
of
downtime
as
we
can
the
sunday.
I'm
sorry.
The
saturday
school
outreach
tentatively
will
begin
november.
A
13Th
based
on
vaccine
supply,
we'll
have
one
school
event
every
saturday
from
nine
to
four.
There
is
a
big
focus
on
geographic
distribution
and
access,
so
we'll
have
a
one
week,
we'll
have
a
central
location
and
then
we'll
be
doing
north
east
south
and
west
to
make
sure
that
we
have
access
points
for
our
entire
community.
A
We
did
have
our
third
planning
call
with
our
school
system
partners
who
are
hosting
the
sites,
but
it
will
be
open
to
all
children
and
families
and
communities,
not
just
public
school.
Our
public
school
partners
have
just
been
very
generous
to
provide
their
campus
as
a
central
location
for
outreach
events.
A
I
did
want
to
say
one
thing
that
we've
learned
since
the,
since
the
previous
briefing
is
that
north
carolina
department
of
health
and
human
services
will
be
supporting
what
they're
calling
pfizer
family
vaccination
sites
in
about
10
to
12
areas
within
the
state.
Buncombe
county
will
be
one
of
those
sites.
This
will
be
focused
on
about
six
weeks,
focus
for
5
to
11
year
olds
and
their
families
and
lots
more
details
to
come,
but
we
do
know
that
we'll
have
a
site
here
in
the
west,
in
buncombe.
A
And
as
we
approach
that
eligibility
of
five
to
11
year
olds,
we
have
three
main
focus
areas
for
communication
and
messaging
and
you'll
see
them
here:
pediatricians,
family
medicine,
doctors
and
providers,
parents
and
caregivers,
and
then
our
schools,
and
so
really
here.
Looking
to
when
we
talk
about
vaccine
communication
and
getting
information
out
to
our
providers
and
our
provider
community,
helping
taking
our
role
as
local
public
health
to
help
demystify
some
of
the
perceptions
of
the
covet
vaccine
management
system
as
being
sort
of
arduous
and
hard
helping.
A
People
understand
how
they
can
navigate
it
and
get
them
looking
into
how
to
become
a
cvms
provider
so
that
we
have
more
local
providers
who
are
giving
out
vaccine
in
office,
which
we
think
may
be
desirable
for
some
families,
especially
those
who
are,
at
the
younger
end
of
that
five
to
11,
where
a
doctor's
office
might
be
something
much
more
comfortable
and
then
vaccine
information
to
parents
and
caregivers,
I'm
sorry,
a
just
a
tentative
provider.
Q.
A
A
call
is
scheduled
for
the
end
of
october
to
help
inform
our
providers
and
then
focus
on
vaccine
information
to
parents
and
caregivers.
We
have
a
tentative
parent
town
hall
being
scheduled
for
early
november,
when
we
have
more
of
that
information,
post,
the
fda
and
hopefully
post
some
cdc
and
asip
to
be
able
to
give
them
the
most
accurate
and
up-to-date
information
and
help
talk
about
the
benefits
of
vaccine
when
it
comes
to
quarantine
and
post-exposure,
and
then
our
third
group
vaccine
communications
to
schools.
A
A
And
then
this
is
just
a
summary
again
of
what
we'll
be
doing
until
the
end
of
the
year
and
into
the
new
year,
and
I
just
want
to
thank
everybody
on
our
buncombe
county
team
and
our
partners
for
the
very
long
hours
as
we
continue
to
do
case.
Investigation
contact,
tracing
vaccine
administration
answering
all
those
community
calls
crafting
really
wonderful,
messaging
and
communications
from
our
team
or
even
ordering
supplies
and
putting
together
outreach
sites
like
literally
putting
them
together
and
constructing
them,
and
so
much
more
over
the
last
18
months.
A
B
B
To
leave
that
one
thing
stacy
said
earlier
is
around
the
mass
mandate
that
it
does
expire
at
the
end
of
the
month,
but
we're
not
bringing
forward
a
recommendation
to
to
do
anything.
Yet
we
want
to
monitor
for
two
more
weeks
before
we
would
have
a
recommendation,
so
I
just
want
to
make
sure
that
everybody
hears
that.