What precautions should I take?

Take the same precautions that you would use for the seasonal flu (influenza). 

• Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze
• Do not reuse tissue after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose; throw it in the trash, not your pocket
• Clean and disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched such as doorknobs, computer, laptops, and cell phones
• Wear a face covering when out in public
• For the general public, CDC recommends wearing gloves when you are cleaning or caring for someone who is sick.

Who is considered a high-risk individual?

• People age 65 and older
• People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility
• Other high-risk conditions include:

People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma

People who have heart disease with complications

People who are immunocompromised including cancer treatment

People of any age with severe obesity (body mass index greater than 40) or certain underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, such as those with diabetes, renal failure, or liver disease might also be at risk

CDC’s recommends using a facemask:

• It is recommended to wear cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.
• CDC also advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.  Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.
• Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
• The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators.  Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.

 

Cloth face coverings should:

• fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
• be secured with ties or ear loops
• include multiple layers of fabric
• allow for breathing without restriction
• be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to the shape

How to sew or make a cloth face covering? 

When should I wear gloves?

For the general public, CDC recommends wearing gloves when you are cleaning or caring for someone who is sick.

In most other situations, like running errands, wearing gloves is not necessary. Instead, practice everyday preventive actions like keeping social distance (at least 6 feet) from others, washing your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds (or using a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol), and wearing a cloth face covering when you have to go out in public.

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When cleaning:

When you are routinely cleaning and disinfecting your home.

• Follow precautions listed on the disinfectant product label, which may include-
  • wearing gloves (reusable or disposable) and
  • having good ventilation by turning on a fan or opening a window to get fresh air into the room you’re cleaning.
• Wash your hands after you have removed the gloves.

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When caring for someone who is sick:

If you are providing care to someone who is sick at home or in another non-healthcare setting

• Use disposable gloves when cleaning and disinfecting the area around the person who is sick or other surfaces that may be frequently touched in the home.
• Use disposable gloves when touching or having contact with blood, stool, or body fluids, such as saliva, mucus, vomit, and urine.
• After using disposable gloves, throw them out in a lined trash can. Do not disinfect or reuse the gloves.
• Wash your hands after you have removed the gloves.

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When gloves aren’t needed

Wearing gloves outside of these instances (for example, when using a shopping cart or using an ATM) will not necessarily protect you from getting COVID-19 and may still lead to the spread of germs. The best way to protect yourself from germs when running errands and after going out is to regularly wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

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You've probably heard the words isolation, quarantine and self-monitor in the news or on social media when talking about the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). You may be confused about the various words and wonder what they mean.  

These words describe the way to limit the spread of disease during epidemics and pandemics:

• Social distancing. Keeping space between yourself and other people outside your household to prevent the spread of disease.    
• Quarantine. Separating people and limiting movement of people who have or may have been exposed to the disease to see if they become ill.
• Isolation. Separating people who are ill from others who are not ill to keep the disease from spreading.
• Direct Contact.  Being exposed to a person that has tested positive for COVID-19. You should consider yourself positive and quarantine for 14 days.  
• Indirect Contact. No contact with a COVID positive person. Does not need to quarantine, self-isolate, or be tested. You are not considered exposed to COVID-19 if you have been near a positive person's relative or significant other.

Social distancing 

This is physically distancing yourself from others by at least 6 feet away from others who don't live with you.  Avoid large groups of people.  

Quarantine

Sometimes providers may ask or require people before they feel ill or have symptoms to stay home or at a specific facility if they might have been exposed to COVID-19 or had direct contact with someone positive with COVID-19.  This will help stop the spread of the disease.  

• Stay home for 14 days
• Watch for common signs and symptoms, such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath
• Keep distance (6 feet) between yourself and others
• Stay away from other people as much as possible, especially people at high risk of serious illness
• Wear a mask if contact with other people can't be avoided
• Isolate yourself in your home if you feel ill 
• Call your doctor if symptoms worsen

Isolation

Providers can and will ask that people to go into isolation that has the COVID-19 virus or have symptoms of the virus. People who test positive without symptoms or with mild symptoms will also be asked to self-isolate themselves in their homes.  Hospitals have isolation units for those who are very sick. 

• Stay away from family members and pets
• Wear a mask if you are near others
• Avoid sharing dishes, glasses, bedding and other household items
• Use a separate bedroom and bathroom if you can

Two kinds of tests for COVID-19: viral tests and antibody tests.

• A viral test tells you if you have a current infection.
• An antibody test might tell you if you had a past infection. An antibody test might not show if you have a current infection because it can take 1–3 weeks after infection for your body to make antibodies. Having antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19 might provide protection from getting infected with the virus again. If it does, we do not know how much protection the antibodies might provide or how long this protection might last.

If you test positive or negative for COVID-19 on a viral or an antibody test, you still should take preventive measures to protect yourself and others.

What do the results mean?

If you test positive for COVID-19 by a viral test, know what protective steps to take if you are sick or caring for someone.  

• Most people have mild illness and can recover at home without medical care. Contact your healthcare provider if your symptoms are getting worse or if you have questions about your health.

­­If you test negative for COVID-19 by a viral test, you probably were not infected at the time your sample was collected. However, that does not mean you will not get sick. The test result only means that you did not have COVID-19 at the time of testing. You might test negative if the sample was collected early in your infection and test positive later during your illness. You could also be exposed to COVID-19 after the test and get infected then.

How to get tested for current COVID-19 infection? 

• If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and want to get tested, call your healthcare provider first. You must have a referral to be tested. They will also tell you where to go to get tested.  
• If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and are not tested, it is important to stay home. Learn what to do if you are sick. 

Direct exposure should consider themselves positive and quarantine for 14 days. Direct exposure means that someone has had direct contact with the person that is positive not the person's girlfriend or family member but the person that is positive.  Indirect contact does not need to test.  

Don't have a primary doctor to get a referral?

Health Department can do referrals for those people that do not have a primary doctor.  If you have a primary doctor you need to call that doctor for a referral. Otherwise, call the Richmond County Hotline 910-417-4947.  If you are getting a referral from the Richmond County Health Department you need to wait on the nurse to call you back before going to the testing site because the referral can take several hours to go through the system.

NC LINKS can help.

NC LINKS, a program of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, serves youth and young adults between 13 and 21 years of age who are or have been in foster care to assist with education, employment, pregnancy prevention, and other activities.

More information and resources about COVID-19 can be found here https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/.

 SIX RESOURCES NC LINKS YOUTH SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

1. Supplemental Foster Care COVID-19 Payments

• Young adults in Foster Care 18 to 21 will receive an additional $100 a month for April, May, and June.
• This money is sent the same way as regular monthly foster care payments, for example:
• If you receive your payment directly, then the $100 will come directly to you.
•  If you are not receiving your payment directly, then the $100 will be made to the same person the regular monthly payment goes to.

2. Additional LINKS Transitional and Housing Funds

• If you are between the ages of 18 and 21 and in the Foster Care 18-21 program you are eligible for LINKS Transitional and Housing funds to assist with rent, rent deposits, room and board, and other transitional costs.
• If you are between ages 18 and 21 and are not in the Foster Care 18 to 21 program you are eligible for funding and supports through NC LINKS and may be eligible for additional supports if you have been impacted by COVID-19.

3. Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT)

• The P-EBT helped families and congregate care settings purchase food during the pandemic. Benefits are also available for children and youth in foster care.
• If you are still in high school, in foster care, and under 18, this benefit is provided to your placement.
• If you are still in high school and in Foster Care 18 to 21 you may receive this benefit directly.
• These benefits are automatically provided and there is no need to apply. For additional information, please refer to: https://www.covid19.ncdhhs.gov/information/human-services/pandemic-electronic-benefit-transfer-p-ebt-program.

4. Foster Care to Success

• The Education and Training Voucher (ETV) and NC Reach Programs: Continue to provide outreach and support services. There are limited resources available for emergency use. If you are receiving ETV or NC Reach funds, please reach out to your coordinator for support.
• https://www.fc2sprograms.org

5. NC 2-1-1 North Carolina’s COVID Information Hub

• NC 2-1-1 is an information and referral service for free and confidential information, including food access, mental/physical health needs, housing resources, and other community resources.
• https://www.nc211.org/coronavirus-covid-19

6. Assurance Wireless

• Assurance Wireless is a Federal Lifeline Assistance program that can help eligible low-income individuals receive free data, unlimited texting, free monthly minutes, and a free phone.
• https://www.assurancewireless.com

Please contact your county LINKS Coordinator at https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/social-services/local-dss-directory 

or

Erin Conner, NC LINKS Coordinator at erin.conner@dhhs.nc.gov

CHECK MY SYMPTOMS

Use the above link to see if your symptoms need to be tested for the COVID-19 virus.  

What are the Symptoms?

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fever
• Chills
• Muscle pain
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell

This list is not all possible symptoms. Other less common symptoms have been reported, including gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.