Columbus reports two new COVID deaths, 16 more cases; Horry coronavirus total tops 2,000; NCCare360 now statewide

By DEUCE NIVEN

tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com

     As COVID-19 continues to sicken people and claim lives a North Carolina effort to connect medical and non-medical service providers with the people who need them has gone statewide.

     This post will cover these topics and will be updated:

• Columbus reports two new COVID deaths, 16 more cases
• With 125 new infections, Horry tops 2,000 with coronavirus
• NCCare360 now statewide with ‘whole-person care’

Columbus reports two new COVID deaths, 16 more cases

     Two recent COVID-19 related deaths among Columbus County residents and confirmation of another 16 infected citizens came during one of the Columbus County Health Department’s twice weekly pandemic updates Monday.

     That brings the total to 35 county residents who have died of COVID complications since the pandemic began, with 468 individuals confirmed to have contracted the disease.

     Those deaths occurred on June 18 and 19, both individuals were in the hospital when they died, the update said. Additional information will not be provided “to protect the families’ privacy,” the news release said.

     Of the new cases, one was confirmed after a health department report was issued on June 18, eight new COVID-19 cases on June 19, one on June 20, two June 21, and four today (June 22).

     Seven county residents are currently hospitalized for COVID complications.

     Zip Code data: Zip Code data from North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) typically lags behind that reported by the county, and that was the case Monday with the DHHS dashboard showing 464 total cases, four fewer than the county.

     That data indicated the Whiteville area with five new cases since Friday, the total now 140; Delco doubling from three to six cases in that time; Tabor City up by two between Friday and Saturday, then stable at 106 cases.

     A notable increase last week in the Hallsboro area came last week, when the case count jumped from 17 to 20 on June 16, that total now 31.

     Statewide: North Carolina has recorded 53,605 confirmed COVID cases since the pandemic began, Monday’s DHHS data showed, that total up by 804 from Sunday; with 1,223 deaths, three more than Sunday; and 870 COVID patients in the hospital, an increase of 25 from the previous day.

     That day over day increase of 804 Monday marked the first time the total had fallen below 1,000 since June 16, with a five-day run that peaked at 1,652 new cases on June 19.

     CC Health Updates: Regularly updated information from the Columbus County Health Department is available on its Facebook page here.

     Columbus County Health Department’s COVID-19 Call Center is also operating from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Call 910-640-6615 ext. 7045 or 7046.

With 125 new infections, Horry tops 2,000 with coronavirus

     Another three digit spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases for Horry County, revealed in state Department of Health and Environmental Control data Monday, continued a six-day run.

     Horry County has now recorded 2,054 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 39 deaths resulting from complications of the disease, DHEC data shows.

     Nine of the 125 COVID cases newly confirmed by DHEC came from the Loris Zip Code, one from the Green Sea area, those totals now 191 and 14 since the pandemic began.

     Statewide South Carolina has recorded 25,666 COVID confirmed cases since the pandemic began, DHEC reported Monday, an increase of 1,002 from Sunday, with 659 people across the state who have died of the disease, 6 more than Sunday.

     A total of 731 Palmetto State residents were reported hospitalized for coronavirus complications Monday, an increase from 39 from Sunday.

NCCare360 now statewide with ‘whole-person care’

     As North Carolina’s top health official urged residents Monday to reverse COVID-19 metrics that are going “in the wrong direction,” she announced a significant expansion of NCCARE360.

     NC Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said NCCARE360 is the nation’s first statewide technology “to coordinate whole-person care uniting traditional healthcare settings and organizations that address non-medical drivers of health, such as food, housing, transportation, employment, and interpersonal safety.”

     Launched in March 2019, NCCARE360 (visit nccare360.org) beat its goal of being available statewide by six months, Dr. Cohen said, that urgency driven by the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

     “All kinds of factors can affect people’s health, and our ground-breaking and innovative NCCARE360 brings government together with the private sector to help people deal with the all the challenges of being sick with COVID-19 or any other health problem,” Gov. Roy Cooper said in a news release.

     NCCARE360 enables health and community-based organizations to make electronic referrals, communicate in real time, securely share client information, and track outcomes together.

     Those with critical, time-sensitive needs can access NCCARE360 immediately by calling 2-1-1 any time. For non-critical needs the full range of NCARE360 resources and online forms can be found here.

     NCARE360 has a repository of more than 10,000 local services.

     “Having this critical infrastructure in place puts our state in a stronger position to address the devastating impact COVID-19 is having on so many of our residents and to help us recover. NCCARE360 brings to life the state’s vision that all North Carolinians have the opportunity for health and well-being,” Dr. Cohen said.

     Unite Us Network Director Georgina Dukes, during a Monday news briefing, said the first successful referral using NCCARE360 came in Johnston County, when a woman who attended a church service asked for prayers as she struggled with unemployment, was connected with the help she needed in about 12 hours after a church member completed the on-line request form.

     This mother, Dukes said, got help because “agencies that don’t usually work together” were connected by NCCARE360.

     “This mother sought help from a door she trusted,” Duke said. She got help “because we meet people where they are.”

     What’s next for NCCARE360?

     “We go deeper,” Dukes said. “We have only scratched the service of what can be done in North Carolina.”

     Organizations interested in joining the network should connect here.

Updates

     Look for continuing coverage on local impacts from the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak here and in the Tabor-Loris Tribune in print and online.