Alexander has two confirmed cases of COVID-19

Alexander County health officials have announced that the county has two confirmed cases of the COVID-19 Coronavirus.

The first case was announced on Saturday, March 28, when a person in Alexander County tested positive for COVID-19. Leeanne Whisnant, Director of Alexander County Consolidated Human Services, said the patient is at home and recovering well. The second case was confirmed on Tuesday, March 31.

According to the NC Department of Health and Human Services, North Carolina has 1,498 confirmed cases, eight (8) deaths, and 157 hospitalized, with a total of 23,106 tested. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States has 163,539 confirmed cases with 2,860 deaths.

Apple, the CDC, the White House, and FEMA have joined to create a website for screening possible COVID-19 patients. It is at: www.apple.com/covid19.

If you think you have symptoms, the most up-to-date way to assess your next steps is to complete the Screening Tool at the website above. Your doctor or state or local health department will decide if you should be tested. If you or someone you know has COVID-19 symptoms and needs to get tested, call your doctor. They will tell you what to do next.

Testing can identify if you have the virus that causes COVID-19.

No treatment is specifically approved for COVID-19. But test results can help you and your doctor decide what to do next.

If you test positive and have mild symptoms, your doctor may advise you to care for yourself at home. If you test positive and have severe symptoms, your doctor will tell you what to do.

A negative test means you were probably not infected at the time of testing. However, it is possible that you were tested early into your infection and that you could test positive later. You could also be exposed at any time and develop the illness.