Haywood County COVID Cases this Week: 113

Haywood County -- Haywood County Public Health: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – December 28, 2021

In the week since the last press release, Haywood County Public Health has received notice of 113 new cases of COVID-19.  As of 5 p.m. on December 27, 2021, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has recorded a total of 8,393 cases in Haywood County since the pandemic began. 

Masks are very much encouraged whenever you plan to be indoors in public areas. Masks are required for employees
and the public in ALL Haywood County government facilities including the courthouse, libraries, and public health
buildings.

According to the CDC, all of North Carolina is listed as an area of high or substantial community transmission. 

All surrounding states are also high-transmission areas. 

Omicron continues to be monitored as a variant of concern. Read an updated Omicron FAQ on the Haywood County website: https://www.haywoodcountync.gov/742/Omicron-FAQ

On Monday, the CDC amended its isolation guidelines for people who test positive for COVID-19 from 10 days to 5 days,
if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others. 

The county is reviewing this change in guidelines and plans to make a decision soon about whether it will change its current isolation policy of 10 days from onset of symptoms, following positive COVID test. 

This week 93.2 percent of new COVID cases were unvaccinated. Nearly all of those who require hospitalization are unvaccinated.  

Vaccination appointments are available on a walk-in basis at the health department.
Initial doses of Pfizer are available for ages 5-18. All three vaccines are available for anyone 18+.
Vaccine clinic hours are Monday-Friday 8-11 a.m. and 1 - 4 p.m. If you prefer scheduling an appointment,
please call 828-356-2019.

Adults are eligible for a booster when they are:

6 months past the initial doses of Pfizer or Moderna, or
2 months past the initial dose of Johnson & Johnson

Teens, ages 16-17 are eligible for a booster dose of Pfizer 6 months after completing their initial series of doses.

Citizens who test positive for COVID-19 are encouraged to reach out to friends or family that meet the close contact
criteria, and encourage them to self-quarantine and get tested 5-6 days after their exposure to the individual who
tested positive. The end goal is to reduce community spread and keep COVID numbers on the downward trend.

Businesses need to be mindful that having quarantined employees return to work too quickly could cause a cluster of
cases in the workplace. We ask that employers rely on the honor system and encourage employees who have been
exposed to quarantine for the recommended time frame of 14 days from the date of exposure to help reduce potential spread.