Chatham County government officials stressed the need for residents to stick to social distancing guidelines and other recommendations from health experts as the county nears the 100-person mark in positive COVID-19 cases.
Additionally, according to the county’s top health official, COVID-19 may be around for the long haul.
“I don’t think this virus is going to completely go away at this point,” Layton Long, Chatham’s public health director, said during a Tuesday afternoon press briefing. “It’s at a point of: where do you break the cycle?”
By Wednesday, Chatham had 77 total positive tests for COVID-19 and marked its first death, a resident at the Laurels of Chatham long-term care facility in Pittsboro. The resident was in declining health, county officials said. In the hours after the announcement of the death, Long and other officials reiterated the same message they’ve been preaching for more than a month: don’t let up on following guidelines to limit the spread of the virus.
“One of the things I’ve always said around public health is that, if public health works, nothing happens,” Long said. “I don’t want people to get complacent because we’re seeing some improvement in these trajectories.”
Long, Chatham County Emergency Management Director Steve Newton and County Manager Dan LaMontagne provided other updates on the county’s response to COVID-19.
Status of PPE and tests
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is currently in “adequate” supply for county personnel and for distribution to local medical and long-term care facilities, Long said.
“At this point in time, we have the equipment that our staff need to respond,” he said. “The less cases, the less use we need of the PPE.”
PPE shortages have become commonplace around the country as medical facilities respond to the growing number of patients dealing with COVID-19 and its complications. Additionally, the county did not have enough tests on hand to conduct comprehensive screenings at Laurels of Chatham, but got assistance from UNC Health Care to meet that need.
Newton said the county is responsible to meet what he termed the “acute supply chain” — specific instances like Laurels of Chatham. Beyond that, his department will put in requests with the state emergency management department. In the meantime, he said his staff is trying to “prioritize” PPE use and minimize the “burn rate” — the rate at which equipment is used.
“The only thing that we have to rely on is let’s slow down our burn rate,” he said, “let’s lessen the opportunity for our frontline personnel to be exposed.”
All within budget, willing to go beyond
Both Newton and LaMontagne stated that the county is attempting to remain fiscally conservative during this time but county officials won’t be afraid to go beyond if needed.
“There is not an open checkbook,” Newton said. “We’re still a local government, we have those requirements. We’re being as conservative as we can while still buying the equipment that we need.”
LaMontagne said significant portions of expenses will be reimbursed by the state government, since North Carolina is under a state of emergency.
“So far we’ve been handling our funds well,” LaMontagne said. “But certainly that’s not going to get in the way of mitigation strategies will be put in place.”
Team effort
Newton said the emergency management department played a small support role in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but his operation’s role has expanded as the impact on county departments has grown. He added that Chatham’s emergency management staff has tried to work with surrounding areas and avoid bidding wars for protective equipment.
“We really stand up those operations and sustain it,” Newton said. “We quickly reach out to our partners at the state, but also our neighboring counties. We try to put in place a system where we’re not competing with each other.”
Long said the health department was already meeting with other “major agencies in advance” of the pandemic’s onset.
“I think Chatham County has a strong team working together,” Long said. “We’re all on the same page and I think that is immensely beneficial.”
Seriously, social distancing
Long and LaMontagne stressed the need to follow social distancing orders and not grow complacent.
“Continue doing what you’re doing,” Long said. “By and large, I think a lot of the public are beginning to realize it’s something important to them and important to the community.”
LaMontagne added, “The biggest fear I have is us letting up too early. The mitigation strategies out in the public, everybody still needs to work on (those) — stay(ing) at home, staying away from people.”
Chatham’s first reported death joined the 117 total across the state as of Wednesday. Long said that following guidelines for social distancing and staying at home was literally a life-and-death situation.
“Your actions prevent somebody from dying,” he said. “That’s the practical reality of it. Even if you don’t realize it, doesn’t seem like it, It is doing that.”
Reporter Zachary Horner can be reached at zhorner@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @ZachHornerCNR.