Buncombe County COVID-19 Cases Weekly Community Update March 16, 2021

Buncombe County-- Buncombe County Gov Community News: Buncombe County COVID Trends Continue to Improve, Group 4

Waitlist Opens March 17, at 8 a.m.

On Tuesday, March 16, Buncombe County Public Health Director Stacie Saunders provided a COVID-19 update to the Board of Commissioners. As of March 16:

There have been 15,970 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Buncombe County since the pandemic’s start.
There have been 294 COVID-19-related deaths in our community. 
There are 57 new cases per 100,000 per week, down from 98 just last week.
The percent positivity is 2.9 percent and has remained stable between 2.8 and 3.1 percent this past week.
Hospitalizations in the region remain stable and hospital reports of COVID-like symptoms have decreased.
Department of Health and Human Services surveillance shows very little flu-like activity this season.
“Seeing our trends come back into more favorable areas is a welcomed sight, but it worries me that folks will see these improving indicators and believe that they no longer need to worry about COVID-19,” said Saunders. “That is false. Our trends are better, but COVID-19 still remains among us. This is actually the time to continue following the three Ws in order to maintain and further improve our current state.”

Vaccines and the Group 4 Waitlist
Since Dec. 22, Buncombe County Health and Human Services (BCHHS) has administered 44,246 doses of the vaccine with help and support from Buncombe County Emergency Services and other partners. At 8 a.m. on March 17, the waitlist will open to Group 4 – people with high-risk medical conditions, people experiencing homelessness and incarcerated people.

To join the waitlist, go to www.buncombeready.org or call 828-419-0095 on Wednesday after 8 a.m. For more details on who is included in Groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, visit covid19.ncdhhs.gov.

As of March 15, our state has administered more than 3.1 million total doses of vaccine. This translates to almost 20% of the population receiving at least partial vaccination and about 13% having now been fully vaccinated.
Among all Buncombe County vaccine providers, more than 83,000 total vaccines have been administered equating to 19.8% of the county population achieving at least partial vaccination and almost 12.2% being fully vaccinated.

To get more information on vaccine distribution for Group 4 in Buncombe County, text “covid” to 99411. To be removed from the waitlist, please call 828-419-0095.

Equity Efforts
Of the total Buncombe County population, about 6 percent (15,000 people) is Black/African American. Roughly 2,260 individuals are both Black/African American and 65 years and older. Through vaccine operations, BCHHS reached about 25.8% of those individuals that are African American and 65-74 years and 25.8% of those individuals who are Black/African American and 75 years and older. This has increased from about 22 percent just two weeks ago.

Recent equity bump allocations in the last two weeks have helped to engage and vaccinate eligible Latinx population members. Based on total population information, roughly 10 percent of the population identifies as Latinx, which is roughly 23,147 individuals in Buncombe County. Of that total population, about 3 percent of the population has received at least one dose. Two weeks ago that figure was 1.4 percent.

Testing
Visit the Find my Testing Place website or visit starmed.care to register for COVID-19 testing in Buncombe County. Individuals who are showing symptoms or believe they have had close contact to COVID-19 should get tested.

Emergency Alerts

Buncombe County residents can stay up-to-date on emergency situations by signing up for BC Alerts by texting “BCAlert” to 99411 or by clicking here. Users can select which type of notices they’d like to receive, the languages for the communications, and even TTY options. These alerts include key information about COVID vaccines and waitlists as well.  

If residents have previously signed up for BC Alerts, they will need to re-register in order to continue receiving them due to a change in emergency alert providers. Visit www.buncombecounty.org to learn more.  

Please continue to practice the 3Ws to stop transmission of COVID-19, even if you’ve received a vaccine. It will take the vaccine and these important preventative measures to get our families back to a sense of normalcy. For more information about COVID-19, vaccine waitlists and COVID testing, go to www.buncombeready.org.

March 9, 2021 Update

Buncombe County COVID Rate Drops to Below Surge Values; Group 3 Waitlist Opens at 8 a.m. March 10

On Tuesday, March 9, Buncombe County Public Health Director Stacie Saunders provided a COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine community update. As of March 9:

There have been 15,822 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Buncombe County since the pandemic’s start.
There have been 293 COVID-19-related deaths in our community. 
The number of new cases per 100,000 per week has dropped to 98 per 100,000 per week. With about 37 new cases per day, the numbers are more similar to pre-surge values.
The percent positivity is stable for the past week at 3.1 percent.
Hospitalizations in the region remain stable.
“These indicators are looking more and more like the metrics prior to the holiday surge,” said Saunders. “This is encouraging and a welcomed sight after a very tough holiday season with significant community spread and transmission. I want to see these trends continue and move further down, and to do that we need your continued help by wearing masks, washing hands, and limiting interactions. If we do our part now, we can see our trends remain stable if not continue to decline. These simple steps are so important as we continue to vaccinate the community.”

Vaccines and the Group 3 Waitlist
Since Dec. 22, Buncombe County Health and Human Services (BCHHS) has been vaccinating members of our community with help and support from Buncombe County Emergency Services and other partners, and at 8 a.m. on March 10, the waitlist will open to all frontline essential employees. To join the waitlist, go to www.buncombeready.org or call 828-250-5000 on Wednesday after 8 a.m.

Individuals who are working in-person in one of the eight essential sectors are eligible for vaccinations. The eight essential sectors are critical manufacturing, education, essential goods, food/agriculture, government/community services, health care/public health, public safety, and transportation. For more details on these sectors and other vaccine information visit covid19.ncdhhs.gov.

To date, BCHHS has administered 38,146 total vaccines, with about 63 percent of those being first doses. For the last three weeks, BCHHS has received a baseline allocation of 2,340 doses. In addition, for the last three weeks, BCHHS has received 300 additional doses each week for equity projects. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services allocated equity “bumps” for the purposes of improving the equitable distribution of vaccines to marginalized populations. With the equity allocations, BCHHS has worked with community partners like Triedstone Missionary Baptist Church and Haywood Street Mission to hold events to reach populations that may have limited access to vaccination opportunities but may be at highest risk of severe illness if they were to contract COVID-19. 

This week in addition to our baseline and our equity allocation, we have accepted a transfer from our hospital partner of 1,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson for appointments. BCHHS is currently scheduling in the 25,000-28,000 range of the waitlist.

BCHHS continues to run first-dose operations from the AB Tech site. Through March 19, second doses will be administered at Reynolds High. On March 20, second-dose operations will transition to Biltmore Church South as a drive-through site.  

To get more information on vaccine distribution for Group 3 and beyond, text “covid” to 99411. To be removed from the waitlist, please call 828-419-0095.

Testing
Visit the Find my Testing Place website or visit www.starmed.care to register for COVID-19 testing in Buncombe County. Individuals who are showing symptoms or believe they have had close contact to COVID-19 should get tested.

Emergency Alerts

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the pandemic, it’s that time is of the essence in a crisis, and it’s also critical in the recovery after. Buncombe County residents can stay up-to-date on emergency situations by signing up for BC Alerts by texting “BCAlert” to 99411 or by clicking here.  

Users can select which type of notices they’d like to receive, the languages for the communications, and even TTY options. These alerts include key information about COVID vaccines and waitlists as well.  

If residents have previously signed up for BC Alerts, they will need to re-register in order to continue receiving them due to a change in emergency alert providers. Visit www.buncombecounty.org to learn more.  

Please continue to practice the 3Ws to stop transmission of COVID-19, even if you’ve received a vaccine. It will take the vaccine and these important preventative measures to get our families back to a sense of normalcy. For more information about COVID-19, vaccine waitlists and COVID testing, go to www.buncombeready.org.

March 2, 2021 Update

Vaccine Rollout Continues in Buncombe County as Infection Rates Stabilize
On Tuesday, March 2, Buncombe County Public Health Director Stacie Saunders provided a COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine update to the Board of Commissioners. As of March 2:

There have been 15,585 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Buncombe County since the pandemic’s start.
There have been 293 COVID-19-related deaths in our community. 
The number of new cases per 100,000 per week has plateaued and is now 178 per 100,000 per week. New cases mirror pre-surge levels, but are not as low as numbers from last summer.
The percent positivity is stable at 3.4 percent.
Hospitalizations in the region have continued to decline but do show some stabilization in recent days.
Vaccine Rollout
Since Dec. 22, Buncombe County Health and Human Services (BCHHS) has been vaccinating members of our community with help and support from Buncombe County Emergency Services and other partners. As of yesterday, BCHHS had administered 32,133 total vaccinations. BCHHS is currently vaccinating individuals in Groups 1 and 2 – healthcare workers and adults 65 and older, as well as Group 3 school personnel. Governor Cooper announced today that the remaining Group 3 Additional Frontline Essential Workers will be eligible beginning March 3. The waitlist in Buncombe County will not open fully to Group 3 on March 3 due to upgrades and surge testing that was planned previously based on the original eligibility date of March 10. BCHHS will notify the public once it determines the date for opening the waitlist to Group 3. To get more information on vaccine distribution for Group 3 and beyond, text “BCAlert” to 99411.

Last Saturday, BCHHS vaccinated approximately 500 school staff. More than 4,100 school personnel signed up to receive vaccinations, and it will take approximately four weeks to vaccinate those who expressed initial interest. Any school personnel not included in the initial list will join the Group 3 general waitlist.
MAHEC is partnering with the Buncombe Partnership for Children to identify and assist in vaccinating childcare facility staff eligible for vaccine.  

Equitable Distribution
As a vaccine provider, equitable distribution has been a guiding principle. Through its vaccine operations, BCHHS has vaccinated more than 500 of the estimated 2,260 individuals who are African American and 65 years or older. In addition, approximately 330 Latinx individuals have received the vaccine, but with roughly 23,317 Latinx individuals qualifying in the current phase, BCHHS is working with community partners to identify additional opportunities for access. Approximately 94 percent of vaccines are going to Buncombe County residents.
NC DHHS has county-level vaccination data available on a dashboard available here: https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard/vaccinations

Vaccine Allotment
Our current baseline allocation is 2,340 - two trays of Pfizer. In addition to the baseline, BCHHS also received a 300-dose equity bump for the this three-week allocation period. The intent of these doses is to provide access in addition to baseline for historically marginalized populations. Last week, BCHHS partnered with Tried Stone Missionary Baptist Church, Western Carolina University and others to administer more than 280 doses at the church. This week, BCHHS is partnering with Haywood Street to vaccinate approximately 150 homeless individuals as well as other recipients of services who are eligible in current groups.  
In addition to the baseline allotment, BCHHS continues to accept transfers from local partners. Last week, BCHHS accepted 300 doses from our hospital partner and this week BCHHS is working to accept a transfer of approximately 500 doses from MAHEC partners. All transferred doses are applied to our waitlist.
If eligible for one of the vaccine groups, individuals can call 828-250-5000 or visit buncombeready.org to get on the waitlist. Buncombe County staff is currently scheduling in the 17,000 range of the waitlist. Approximately 40,000 individuals remain on the wait list, and they are contacted in the order which they signed up. If individuals need to remove their name from the waitlist, please email ready@buncombecounty.org or call us at (828) 419-0095 or (828) 250-5000. To view more vaccine providers, visit the Find Your Spot to Take Your Shot website.

Testing
Visit the Find my Testing Place website or visit starmed.care to register for drive-through COVID-19 testing. Individuals who are showing symptoms or believe they have had close contact to COVID-19 should get tested.
Please continue to practice the 3Ws to stop transmission of COVID-19, even if you’ve received a vaccine. It will take the vaccine and these important preventative measures to get our families back to a sense of normalcy. For more information about COVID-19, vaccine waitlists and COVID testing, go to www.buncombeready.org.