Coronavirus: Health Department doubles inoculations; Bladen records 28th fatality

ELIZABETHTOWN — Vaccinations by the Health Department in Bladen County have doubled this week, a release from Dr. Terri Duncan says.

Duncan, the director of the department, said immediate priorities are people age 75-and-up, and health-care workers on waiting lists. She said vaccine supply is limited and “calls to be put on a waiting list will be suspended. Once the list is completed, we will be able to open up the larger priority group of age 65 and above.”

In the state vaccination report, Bladen County has 131 people who have completed both doses and 665 who have received the first dose. The state total is 44,271 for both doses, and 238,344 for the first dose.

The state Department of Health and Human Services, along with Gov. Roy Cooper, this week instructed health departments to incorporate all health-care workers and anyone 65-and-up. However, across the state, there are many in the first group for 75-and-up still trying to get vaccinated.

Duncan’s release said active priorities open at the Bladen County Health Department are health-care workers and long-term care staff and residents; and older adults ages 65-and-up.

Yet to be opened are groups for:

• Frontline essential workers.

• Adults at high risk for exposure and increased risk of severe illness.

• Everyone who wants a vaccine.

Bladen County added a second death in as many days in the Friday update from the state. There were 27 new cases and 51 recoveries added.

Since the pandemic began, there have been 28 deaths, 2,265 cases and 1,892 recoveries. Of those, 422 cases have been added this month. The highest month to date was December (500).

In the twice-a-week report on outbreaks, Elizabethtown Health and Rehab continued to be listed with 11 cases among staff and five residents; and West Bladen Assisted Living appeared on the list for the first time with seven cases among staff. There are no clusters in Bladen County.

The Department of Health and Human Services postal ZIP code report lists 751 cases in Elizabethtown and White Lake since the pandemic began; 539 in Bladenboro; 302 in Clarkton; 234 in East Arcadia; 125 in White Oak; 117 in Tar Heel; 63 in Council; 44 in Kelly; and 25 in Dublin.

There are 11 fatalities listed for the ZIP in Elizabethtown and White Lake. There have been four in Bladenboro; three in East Arcadia; two each in Dublin, Clarkton and Council; and one each in Tar Heel, White Oak and Kelly. One is not attached to a ZIP code unique to Bladen County.

Friday’s totals from the state included:

• 7,933 deaths, up 108 from Thursday’s noon report.

• 659,840 cases, up 8,914.

• 3,916 hospitalized, down 74.

• 7,874,642 tests, up 86,135.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health conditions, the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.

In Bladen County, the ages 25-49 category has had 39 percent of the cases, 50-64 has 21 percent, 18-24 has 12 percent, 17-and-under has 13 percent, 65-74 has 9 percent and 75-or-older has 6 percent. Ages for 17 of 26 deaths are suppressed; three are ages 75-and-older, two are ages 65-74, two are ages 50-64, and two are ages 25-49.

Statewide, the ages 25-49 category has had 39 percent of the cases, 50-64 has 20 percent, 18-24 has 14 percent, 17-and-under has 10 percent, 65-74 has 8 percent and 75-or-older has 7 percent. Of the fatalities, ages 75-and-older has made up 60 percent, 65-74 has 23 percent, 50-64 has 13 percent and 25-49 has 4 percent.

In adjacent counties to Bladen, there have been 494 deaths and 41,894 cases. Cumberland has 151 deaths and 17,121 cases; Robeson has 151 deaths and 11,799 cases; Columbus has 101 deaths and 4,493 cases; Sampson has 73 deaths and 5,648 cases; and Pender has 25 deaths and 3,432 cases.

Congregate living settings in North Carolina have totaled 3,714 deaths and 53,083 positive cases. Outbreaks have been identified and are active at 356 nursing homes, 328 residential care facilities, 67 correctional institutions and three other facilities. Of those, 17 are in Cumberland, 14 in Robeson, five in Columbus, four in Sampson, three in Pender, and two in Bladen.

Cumberland has two clusters.

With 96 percent of the state’s hospitals reporting, DHHS says there is availability of 65 percent of the ventilators, 14 percent of the intensive care unit beds and 22 percent of all hospital beds.

In the personal protective equipment category, all categories are at least four months.

A combined 13 metropolitan counties have the state’s three largest cities and account for 38 percent of the deaths (3,018) and 46 percent of the cases (303,557).

In the Charlotte area, Mecklenburg County has 660 deaths and 75,261 positive cases, Gaston County has 273 deaths and 19,028 cases, Rowan County has 207 deaths and 11,313 cases, Cabarrus County has 168 deaths and 13,914 cases, and Union County has 125 deaths and 15,829 cases — a total of 1,433 deaths and 135,345 cases.

In and near the Triangle area, Wake County has 394 deaths and 55,887 cases, Durham County has 150 deaths and 17,362 cases, Johnston County has 123 deaths and 13,783 cases, and Orange County has 69 deaths and 5,954 cases — a total of 736 deaths and 92,986 cases.

In the interior of the 12-county Piedmont Triad, Guilford County has 350 deaths and 30,103 cases, Forsyth County has 246 deaths and 24,381 cases, Randolph County has 152 deaths and 9,686 cases, and Davidson County has 101 deaths and 11,056 cases — a total of 849 deaths and 75,226 cases.

According to the coronavirus tracker of Johns Hopkins University, available on BladenJournal.com, more than 23.3 million confirmed cases and 389,000 deaths are counted in the U.S. The second-highest case total is in India, with more than 10.5 million.

There have been more than 93.4 million cases worldwide, with more than 2 million deaths.