Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

COVID-19’s grip on the local area continues as there were two more deaths from the virus reported Thursday in Hertford County.

Albemarle Regional Health Services (ARHS) confirmed the two newest deaths associated with COVID-19 were Hertford County residents. Both individuals were over the age of 65.

One of those deaths is associated with the facility outbreak at Accordius Creekside Care and Rehabilitation in Ahoskie. To date there have been 13 deaths linked to COVID-19 at this facility. As of Friday (Sept. 25), there were 98 cases (68 residents; 30 staff members) of COVID-19 at that facility. That marks an increase of 22 cases since Sept. 18.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) has recently enhanced testing capacity at congregate living facilities, therefore resulting in a number of recent outbreaks across the region. An outbreak is defined as two or more cases in a facility.

When an outbreak is identified, additional contact tracing and testing is required in order to manage exposures and ensure proper steps are taken to protect both staff and residents. This often times identifies additional cases more quickly, including asymptomatic cases.

Other local outbreaks reported by ARHS (numbers as of Friday, Sept. 25) were:

Brian Center Health and Rehab in Windsor – 7 cases (5 staff; 2 residents);

Windsor House – 28 cases (5 staff, 23 residents and 2 deaths);

Bertie Correctional Institution of Windsor – 46 cases (15 staff; 31 inmates);

Gates House of Gatesville – 11 cases (7 staff; 4 residents); and

Rivers Correctional Institution of Winton – 16 cases (9 staff; 7 inmates).

The two latest virus victims push the Hertford County death toll to 31. That’s more than double the 15 deaths the county had suffered as of Sept. 1. Six of the county’s deaths have occurred over the past 14 days.

Meanwhile, the death toll from COVID-19 remains unchanged, to date, in Northampton (17) and Gates (3) counties during September.

Bertie has reported nine deaths, an increase of three since Sept. 1.

As of Sept. 25, ARHS reported the following information (note – the number of lab confirmed cases represent a cumulative total since the outbreak began in March):

Bertie County – 577 cases; 21 active, 547 recovered.

Gates County – 138 cases; 19 active, 116 recovered.

Hertford County – 744 cases; 61 active, 652 recovered.

The Northampton County Health Department reported on Friday there have been 465 total positive cases since the outbreak began, with 27 active cases and 421 recoveries.

NC DHHS has launched a COVID-19 Exposure Notification app called SlowCOVIDNC. The app will help North Carolinians slow the spread of the virus by alerting them when they may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. It is completely anonymous and does not collect, store or share personal information or location data.

To learn more about SlowCOVIDNC and to download the app, visit https://www.covid19.ncdhhs.gov/slowcovidnc.