Beaufort County Emergency Management: COVID-19 Update (4-6-20) | Eastern North Carolina Now

    What to Expect in the Future?     The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluations continues to update projections for COVID-19. Their data includes estimates of needs (ie. hospital beds, ICU beds, ventilators) as well as peak cases for US and state by state. Recent updates include a reduction in hospitalizations and death rates for NC, reflecting the effectiveness of current mitigation efforts. N.C is projected to peak on April 13th. You can view this information by using the following link: https://covid19.healthdata.org/projections (This may not work well in Internet Explorer) Use the drop down arrow next to “United States of America” to view this data at a state level.

    Since activating our EOC, staff members have been evaluating case statistics and mitigation efforts in an attempt to model what impacts we could expect locally. We will be sharing those finding this week, as we discuss what we anticipate specifically in Beaufort County. This information will include total number of cases, hospitalizations, potential deaths, and rates as it pertains to various age groups.

    We will also be including information related to the utilization of mask, as we hope to provide clarity to the changing topic of who should wear a mask, when and what type of mask should be used.

    Announcements of cases attributed to “community spread” will continue for the foreseeable future. This is a normal and expected progression of communicable disease pandemics such as COVID-19. However, frequent hand washing and continuing to practice social distancing is the best way to fight community spread.

    Areas with high population densities such as Wake, Durham and Mecklenburg counties will continue to experience the greatest concentration of outbreaks, with their neighboring counties being the next highest. This to is an expected trend and is now evident by reviewing the NCDHHS state map tracker: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/covid-19-case-count-nc

    Economic Impacts and Mitigation     The systemic effects of social distancing has and will continue to impact our local economy. Particularly our local restaurants, many of which continue to offer carryout / drive through options. The status of local businesses and restaurants can be found by visiting the link below from the Washington Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce. Please continue to support these locations when possible during this difficult time: https://www.wbcchamber.com/news/2020-business-updates-regarding-covid-19

    There are also several conversations at the federal and state levels regarding economic initiative. North Carolina is in the process of lifting many of the unemployment guidelines for those seeking assistance. Details pertaining to this initiative will be forthcoming.

    Resources     We have created a resource page that can accessed at:     https://co.beaufort.nc.us/departments/human-services/public-health/2019-coronavirus-covid-19

    This resource page contains guidance for businesses, long term care facilities, families, and more.

    We are here to offer support and answer any questions or concerns. We are encouraging all community partners to share accurate information and promote it within your businesses, communities, and elsewhere. Beaufort County's website and Facebook page are great ways to stay up to date on accurate information.

• Chris Newkirk
• Deputy Director
• Beaufort County Emergency Services
• 1420 Highland Dr
• Washington, N.C. 27889
• Office: (252) 940-6511
• Cell: (252) 378-5352
• Chris.Newkirk@co.beaufort.nc.us