Moore County Says It Will No Longer Test for COVID-19 in Nursing Homes

Author Brandon Plotnick

April 10th, 2020 8:26 PM

After seeing 53 positive cases of the coronavirus at one senior care facility, Moore County officials have decided they will no longer administer further testing in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities in the county.

“COVID-19 testing provides only a snapshot in time,” said Moore County Health Department Director Robert Wittmann. “An individual may test negative one day and positive the next. Without complete and continuous testing with rapid results, we have no way to truly get a handle on virus transmission. At this time, we do not have the testing capabilities for such an undertaking.”

The decision comes on the heels of 53 positive cases, including 45 from patients, at Pinehurst Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center this week. Officials said that because there would really be no change in how the centers operate based on the testing, there was not much need to do any more.

“Control measures for all long-term care facilities are the same, regardless of the presence of a confirmed positive COVID-19 case,” the county said in a release. “Given the above information, it is highly likely that the COVID-19 virus is present in all Moore County nursing homes and they must act accordingly to curb the spread of COVID-19.”

The full release from Moore County is below:

In consideration of the following coronavirus (COVID-19) related information to date, the Moore County Health Department has determined that further testing in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in Moore County is not necessary at this time.

• Roughly 1/4th (23.9%) of Moore County residents are 65 years of age or older. Individuals in the 65+ age bracket are considered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be at higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19 infection.
• Nationwide data shows that about 1/4th of individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 did not have any symptoms.
• Testing of all residents and staff performed at Pinehurst Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center the week of April 6th disclosed a total of 45 COVID-19 infections out of a total resident population of 96, as well as a total of 8 staff member infections out of a total staff population of 115 at the time of this release.
• Some staff members at nursing homes in Moore County serve more than one nursing home.
• Control measures for all long-term care facilities are the same, regardless of the presence of a confirmed positive COVID-19 case.

Given the above information, it is highly likely that the COVID-19 virus is present in all Moore County nursing homes and they must act accordingly to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“COVID-19 testing provides only a snapshot in time,” says Moore County Health Department Director Robert Wittmann. “An individual may test negative one day and positive the next.” “Without complete and continuous testing with rapid results, we have no way to truly get a handle on virus transmission. At this time, we do not have the testing capabilities for such an undertaking,” he adds.

The Moore County Health Director instructs that all long-term care facilities in Moore County stringently follow the mandates set forth by Governor Roy Cooper in Executive Order 131 announced earlier this week. The Order set the following guidelines for long-term care facilities:

• All staff must wear facemasks while in the facility.
• All communal and group activities should be cancelled and communal areas should be closed to group activity.
• All staff must be screened daily for symptoms. If symptomatic, that employee should be sent home to isolate and recover.
• Actively monitor all residents daily for symptoms and contact the Health Department immediately if symptoms manifest.
• Residents who are symptomatic or have tested positive for COVID-19 are to isolate in a separate part of the facility away from other residents and provided with care from designated staff assigned to this area only.

These Orders are in addition to a previous Executive Order that restricted all visitors and non-essential healthcare personnel from entering such facilities. These directives should be followed closely in order to limit the spread of COVID-19 and universal precautions should be taken in every facility regardless of the presence of confirmed or suspected cases.

“Further, we must conclude that the COVID-19 virus is present throughout the County, regardless of geographic location or zip-code region,” said Wittmann.

RELATED CONTENT:

https://wkml.com/2020/04/10/county-warns-of-possible-exposure-to-coronavirus-at-gillespie-st-walmart/

GALLERY: CORONAVIRUS AROUND THE GLOBE TODAY

• Iconic Passion Play of Iztapalapa Held Without Public Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

  Share

  MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - APRIL 10: Police officers wearing protective masks guard the accesses to the Way of the Cross during the Passion Play of Iztapalapa on April 10, 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico. Iztapalapa, one of Mexico City's boroughs, hosts the oldest and most elaborated Via Crucis recreation every year on good Friday. This traditional event started in 1843 and in moderns times involves up to 5,000 people participating and 150 of these with speaking roles. Due to restrictions to public gatherings to halt spread of COVID-19, access points to Iztapalapa remain closed and no public is permitted. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

• Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Climate Of Anxiety And Changing Routines In America

  Share

  NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 10: People wait in line to enter a supermarket which has limited the number of shoppers due to the coronavirus on April 10, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. According to John Hopkins University, the global death toll from COVID-19 has now reached 100,000 worldwide with many experts believing that the number is actually higher. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

• Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Climate Of Anxiety And Changing Routines In America

  Share

  NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 10: Officers enforce social distancing as dozens of people stand in line outside of Seatide Fish & Lobster market to purchase fish on Good Friday on April 10, 2020, in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens in New York City. Christians around the world are observing Good Friday today, a day for prayer and fasting commemorating Jesus crucifixion and death. This year, many have chosen to worship virtually. Pope Francis, as well as many Christian leaders, pivoted to live streaming services, during the pandemic. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
• Mobile Coronavirus Testing Site Set Up At Pimlico Race Track

  Share

  BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - APRIL 10: A Baltimore Sheriff deputy sits in a patrol car at a newly opened mobile coronavirus testing site set up in the parking lot at Pimlico Race Track on April 10, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. According to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan the COVID-19 pandemic has infected nearly 7,000 Marylanders. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

• With Second Most Coronavirus Cases In The Nation, New Jersey Fights Pandemic

  Share

  JERSEY CITY, NJ - APRIL 10: A worker places a placard on the window of a liquor store while wearing a face mask on April 10, 2020 in Jersey City, New Jersey. On Wednesday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy ordered all residents to wear masks or face coverings in grocery stores and stated that essential retail stores must limit the number of customers to 50 percent of their approved capacity. New Jersey has the second most COVID-19 cases in the U.S. with over 50,000 confirmed reports. (Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

• Hospitality Workers Union Distributes Food To People In Need On Good Friday

  Share

  INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 10: People wear face masks while helping to distribute food at a free groceries distribution in observance of Good Friday for those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, including hospitality workers, on April 10, 2020 in Inglewood, California. United Here Local 11, the L.A. Regional Food Bank and other organizations planned to distribute a week's worth of groceries for 5,000 families amid the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
• Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Climate Of Anxiety And Changing Routines In America

  Share

  NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 10: A EMS worker walks in between two ambulances parked out side of the emergency room at NYU Langone Heath on April 10, 2020 in New York City. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo during his daily briefing on COVID-19 shared that for the first time they've seen fewer ICU admissions. The state has experienced 777 new deaths overnight and the state's death toll now stands at 7,844. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

• Coronavirus Outbreak In Mexico

  Share

  MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - APRIL 10: People queue to enter a bakery shop in downtown on April 10, 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico. Health Emergency was declared by National Government and Non-essential activities have been suspended nationwide until April 30. Mexico has over 3,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 194 deaths. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

• Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Climate Of Anxiety And Changing Routines In America

  Share

  NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 10: The streets of Manhattan stand nearly empty due to the coronavirus epidemic on April 10, 2020 in New York City. According to John Hopkins University, the global death toll from COVID-19 has now reached 100,000 worldwide with many experts believing that the number is actually higher. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
• Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Climate Of Anxiety And Changing Routines In America

  Share

  NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 10: Grand Central Terminal stands nearly empty due to the coronavirus epidemic on April 10, 2020 in New York City. According to John Hopkins University, the global death toll from COVID-19 has now reached 100,000 worldwide with many experts believing that the number is actually higher. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

• Coronavirus Continues To Overwhelm Guayaquil

  Share

  GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR - APRIL 10: In the Jardines de Esperanza cemetery in Guayaquil, boxes with coffins continue to arrive to be buried on April 10, 2020 in Pascuales, Guayaquil, Ecuador. Guayas Province and its capital Guayaquil are the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador, the worst-hit per capita country in South America. Morgues and hospitals are overcrowded and government started burials in common graves in the boroughs of Pascuales and La Aurora. Number of deaths is expected to be much higher as most victims were not tested nor diagnosed. (Photo by Getty Images/Eduardo Maquilon/Getty Images)

• Los Angeles Residents Required To Wear Masks In Public

  Share

  LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 10: A worker wears a face mask and gloves at a stand selling coronavirus pandemic supplies, including face masks, on April 10, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. Beginning today, residents of Los Angeles and workers are required by law to wear masks or other face coverings at 'essential' businesses to protect against the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
• Hong Kong Piano School Goes Mobile Amid The Coronavirus Outbreak

  Share

  HONG KONG, CHINA - APRIL 10: A person plays piano inside a Ming's Piano truck at a car park, on April 10, 2020 in Hong Kong, China. In attempt to keep their business during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ming’s Piano, a music school with 12 teachers and about 200 students, has hired three trucks to deliver lessons at students' doorsteps. (Photo by Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images)

• Britain Celebrates Easter Under Coronavirus Lockdown

  Share

  LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - APRIL 10: Military personnel are seen outside St Thomas' Hospital on April 10, 2020 in London, England. Public Easter events have been cancelled across the country, with the government urging the public to respect lockdown measures by celebrating the holiday in their homes. Over 1.5 million people across the world have been infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus, with over 7,000 fatalities recorded in the United Kingdom. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

• China Works to Contain Spread of Coronavirus

  Share

  BEIJING, CHINA - APRIL 10: Chinese workers and health officials wear protective suits as they watch travellers from Hubei province, including Wuhan, as they gather to take buses while being processed and taken to do 14 days of quarantine, after arriving by train on April 10, 2020 in Beijing, China. China lifted its lockdown on Wuhan, the first epicentre of COVID-19 after 76 days this week, allowing healthy people to leave. China recorded for the first time since January 21st no coronavirus-related deaths. With the pandemic hitting hard across the world, officially the number of coronavirus cases in China is dwindling, ever since the government imposed sweeping measures to keep the disease from spreading. For more than two months, millions of people across China have been restricted in how they move from their homes, while other cities have been locked down in ways that appeared severe at the time but are now being replicated in other countries trying to contain the virus. Officials believe the worst appears to be over in China, though there are concerns of another wave of infections as the government attempts to reboot the worlds second largest economy. In Beijing, it is mandatory to wear masks outdoors, some retail stores still operate on reduced hours, restaurants employ social distancing among patrons, and tourist attractions at risk of drawing large crowds remain closed or allow only limited access. Monitoring and enforcement of virus-related measures and the quarantine of anyone arriving to Beijing is carried out by neighborhood committees and a network of Communist Party volunteers who wear red arm bands. Since January, China has recorded more than 81,000 cases of COVID-19 and at least 3200 deaths, mostly in and around the city of Wuhan, in central Hubei province, where the outbreak first started. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
• New York City’s MTA Takes Temperatures Of Its Workers To Ensure Safety Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

  Share

  NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 10: Javier Camillo an MTA bus driver has his temperature taken before starting his shift at the West Farms Bus Depot on April 10, 2020 in New York City. The Temperature Brigade program, as the MTA calls it, is taken with taking the temperature and logging the information for front line workers as the coronavirus continues to ravage the transit authority.(Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

• Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Climate Of Anxiety And Changing Routines In America

  Share

  NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 10: Medical workers take in patients at a special coronavirus intake area at Maimonides Medical Center on April 10, 2020 in the Borough Park neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Hospitals in New York City, which has been especially hard hit by the coronavirus, are facing shortages of beds, ventilators and protective equipment for medical staff. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

• The Coronavirus In Germany: Week 5

  Share

  KARLSRUHE, GERMANY - APRIL 10: Police checks social distancing guidelines in the afternoon of Easter Good Friday in the park 'Guenther-Klotz-Anlage' on April 10, 2020 in Karlsruhe, Germany. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany has surpassed 100,000 and the number of deaths continues to rise. While public support for the measures imposed by authorities to limit public life in an effort to slow the spread of the virus remains strong, people are wondering how long the measures will last, especially as the economic impact of the disruptions becomes more acute. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
• UK Remains On Lockdown Due To Coronavirus As Infection Rate Appears To Slow

  Share

  BRIGHTON, UNITED KINGDOM - APRIL 10: A police officer asks members of the public to leave the beach on April 10, 2020 in Brighton, United Kingdom. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has spread to many countries across the world, claiming almost 97,000 lives and infecting over 1 million people. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

• Indonesians Mark Good Friday Amid The Coronavirus Outbreak

  Share

  YOGYAKARTA, INDONESIA - APRIL 10: A church official attends as empty seats are seen during Good Friday service through live internet streaming, following the government measure to suspend church services to curb the spread of the coronavirus at the Paroki Kristus Raja Baciro Catholic church on April 10, 2020 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Indonesian officials have so far confirmed over 3,000 cases of COVID-19 in the country with at least 306 recorded fatalities. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has spread to at least over 200 countries and territories across the world, claiming over 90,000 lives and infecting over a million more. (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)

• Germany Celebrates Easter Despite Coronavirus Restrictions

  Share

  BERLIN, GERMANY - APRIL 10: People relax along the Landwehr Canal in Kreuzberg district on Good Friday during the coronavirus crisis on April 10, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. Across Germany people and churches are seeking ways to celebrate Easter yet also adhere to the strict limitations on public life imposed by authorities in order to stem the spread of the virus. Churches will livestream religious services and children may still hunt Easter eggs, albeit in restricted venues and only with immediate family members. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
• Spain Remains In Lockdown As Coronavirus Infection Rate Slows

  Share

  BARCELONA, SPAIN - APRIL 10: Empty beds are seen at Hospital del Mar temporary field hospital on April 10, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. Hospital del Mar has set up a 76 beds temporary field hospital to receive COVID-19 patients during the upcoming weeks. More than 15,000 people are reported to have died in Spain due to the COVID-19 outbreak, although the country has reported a decline in the daily number of deaths. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

• With Second Most Coronavirus Cases In The Nation, New Jersey Fights Pandemic

  Share

  JERSEY CITY, NJ - APRIL 10: A woman wears a face mask as she walks past a closed park on April 10, 2020 in Jersey City, New Jersey. New Jersey has the second most COVID-19 cases in the U.S. with over 50,000 confirmed reports. (Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

• Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Climate Of Anxiety And Changing Routines In America

  Share

  OLD BETHPAGE, NY - APRIL 10: A worker at Han's Natural Farms places directional guides for shoppers on the floor on April 10, 2020 in Old Bethpage, New York. According to Johns Hopkins University, New York state has more confirmed coronavirus cases than any other country outside of the United States. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
• Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Climate Of Anxiety And Changing Routines In America

  Share

  HUNTINGTON, NY - APRIL 10: Signs in front of Huntington Hospital salute the medical workers on April 10, 2020 in Huntington, New York. According to Johns Hopkins University, New York state has more confirmed coronavirus cases than any other country outside of the United States.(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

• Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Climate Of Anxiety And Changing Routines In America

  Share

  HUNTINGTON, NY - APRIL 10: A sign on the marquee of the Paramount Theatre states that the theater is in 'intermission' on April 10, 2020 in Huntington, New York. According to Johns Hopkins University, New York state has more confirmed coronavirus cases than any other country outside of the United States. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

• Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Climate Of Anxiety And Changing Routines In America

  Share

  NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 10: A sign thanking the FDNY on a barricade outside of the Trauma Center entrance at Elmhurst Medical Center on April 10, 2020 in New York City. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo during his daily briefing on COVID-19 shared that for the first time they've seen fewer ICU admissions. The state has experienced 777 new deaths overnight and the state's death toll now stands at 7,844. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Sign Up For The Dose of Sunny Newsletter

Your connection to the music and entertainment news you want and, the community information you need, plus exclusive games and contests.

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.

Author Brandon Plotnick

Category:

• Coronavirus
• Coronavirus Local
• Local News
• Sunny 94.3