Chandler Keller assisted in the reporting of this story.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Jackson county jumped to 12 this past week. This was an increase of seven cases from the last update sent out on April 24. In addition to this, eight individuals have tested positive at a Jackson County healthcare provider that are not current residents of the area.
In response to this, The Jackson County Department of Public Health (JCDPH) partnered with Harris Regional Hospital to help answer some common questions about the COVID-19 virus. The press release mostly included tips for how to go about treatment if experiencing symptoms of the virus. Overall it was meant to clear up what someone’s healthcare provider might mean when giving a patient advice.
While it is not said explicitly it appears that Jackson County is taking a self-treatment first method. Most of the recommendations are for treating the illness at home. For example, Dr. Benjamin Guiney, Town of Sylva Board Member, gave some tips for managing the illness from home, “most important is self-care. Get lots of sleep and eat healthy. The other symptoms of the common cold (nasal congestion, etc.) can be handled with over the counter cough/cold medications like Benadryl, Tylenol, etc. I recommend avoiding products with alcohol in them like NyQuil.”
People with COVID-19 are asked to monitor their pulse and oxygen levels from home. There was a scenario laid out in the press release where a patient’s pulse is rising, and oxygen levels are dropping. In this situation Dr. Guiney said, “You should be evaluated by a medical provider immediately. Urgent Care or ER are most appropriate and if unable to get to either then call 911/EMS for evaluation at home.” Again, the treatment is still to be done at the home. Based on the press release, local public health officials are trying to keep as many people out of the hospitals, for coronavirus, as possible.
Another issue that Dr. Guiney alluded to in the press release involved getting access to oxygen level testing kits. He said, “there are products called Pulse Oximeters that are available at most pharmacies (although there may be a shortage at this time) that allows you to check your levels at home.” There is no alternative given for the Pulse Oximeters by JCDPH officials.
It is worth noting that Amazon and Walmart appear to have Pulse Oximeters in stock on their websites.
Harris Regional Hospital. Photo by WCJ archive.
At this time Harris Regional Hospital will not confirm if they have any positive cases being treated on site. However, on their website they do have the following message in bold “No visitors are allowed for patients that are suspected or confirmed COVID-19. For patients that are gravely ill, arrangements will be made to accommodate visual/audio communications.”
Despite the strong encouragement for home treatment of COVID-19, Dr. Brad McAbee said in the press release: “I also want to urge people to not neglect their health out of fear of exposure. If you are sick and need to seek medical attention than you should do so. It’s our job within the health care system to keep you safe when you come to us seeking care. And we are here wanting to take care of you beyond just virus treatment.”
Harris Regional Hospital recommends that those experiencing symptoms take the CDC self-assessment before contacting a local health care provider. The Jackson County Department of Public Health’s website says, “COVID-19 testing is available through many healthcare providers in Jackson County. If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, follow CDC guidelines to prevent further spread and call your healthcare provider. If you don’t have a healthcare provider or don’t know where to go, call JCDPH and we can help you make an informed decision.”
WCJ contacted JCDPH in an attempt to gather information on how to get COVID-19 testing. However, a representative of JCDPH only gave us a list of healthcare providers in the county that are doing COVID-19 testing. These places are: Mountain Parks Urgent Care in Sylva, Smokey Mountain Urgent Care, Harris Regional Hospital Urgent Care by Sylva Walmart, and the emergency room at Harris Regional Hospital.
Contacting JCDPH can be difficult as you have to navigate several numbers and extensions, many of which are dead ends that play a pre-recorded message telling the caller to “dial 9-1-1” if they are experiencing an emergency.
WCJ contacted Deputy Director of JCDPH, Melissa McKnight, saying in an email: “Our increase in cases is alarming but we had already identified community spread of the virus in Jackson County on April 13. Community spread means that an individual contracted COVID-19 without knowing where they got it or from whom.”
McKnight said that some of the newer active cases in Jackson County can be attributed to the construction site’s cases on WCU’s campus, but others cannot. She also said, “While I know many in our community are interested in the case count in our community, I’d like to stress that it doesn’t tell the whole picture of disease burden, especially now that we have community spread of the virus. Everyone needs to understand that COVID-19 is in Jackson County and act accordingly.”
For those living in Jackson County the rise in cases doesn’t appear to be affecting normal life according to a WCU graduate living in the area Zion Boggess.
“I see the same faces in the same places each day. People are practicing social distancing but in general I don’t sense any great concern from anyone here. We’re all sort of in our own little world, I guess. There has been some talk about the construction workers on campus having the virus but even that doesn’t have anyone too worried,” Boggess said.
It will take time to determine the impact of the jump in cases in the area.
Attached below is the full press release from JCDPH and an information sheet from Harris Regional Hospital.
