WILMINGTON, North Carolina – North Carolina is seeing a rise in people who are sick this summer.
People who work in health say it happens a lot because people move so much. They do say, though, that it’s important to know what signs to look out for and what to do, especially when it comes to COVID.
The New Hanover County Health and Human Services’ Michelle McGrath says that COVID is no longer a sickness that needs to be reported. How do the authorities know there’s a rise?
“That’s really what we’re seeing by keeping an eye on hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses and visits to the emergency room,” McGrath said.
There are also tests being done by the state health department on wastewater samples from some treatment companies to learn more about COVID-19.
Health experts say that those samples also show a rise. A nurse practitioner at Novant Health named Rand Pennington says there are signs to look out for.
“They are coming in with a lot of upper respiratory symptoms.” “Specifically, stuffy noses, coughs, and headaches that start pretty quickly,” Pennington said.
McGrath says that the steps to follow if you test positive for COVID are different from what they were a few years ago, but there are still rules.
“You might want to wear a mask for five days after testing positive,” McGrath said. “But the best advice is to stay home when you’re sick.”
The doctor says you can go back to your normal routines after 24 hours without taking any medicine to lower your fever if you’ve been sick.
Health officials say that the best ways to stay healthy are to wash your hands often, stay away from groups, and stay home if you’re sick.
McGrath says that you don’t have to isolate yourself if you come into touch with someone who tests positive for COVID. This is different from a few years ago.
He also says that tests done at home, in a lab, or in a doctor’s office are all accurate. If you notice a change between tests, it’s probably just because of when you took them.
