News Flash

For Immediate Release

02/09/2022    

COVID-19 Information

Phone: 980-432-1800
Website: www.rowancountync.gov/COVID-19
Email: covid-19@rowancountync.gov

Vaccine Information

Website: www.rowancountync.gov/COVIDvaccine
Follow Us: www.facebook.com/rowancountyhealth 

Rowan County COVID-19 Case Information: https://bit.ly/rowan-covid19-hub

We Still Need to Practice Preventive Measures to Get Ahead of COVID-19

Like many places, Rowan County has recently seen a decrease in the number of active COVID cases within our community.  In the last 14 days, Rowan has seen 2,325 active cases, with an average of 107 new cases per day. Currently, our percent positivity rate is 31.2%; although still high, it has definitely come down even from last week. As far as hospitalizations, the number of individuals admitted here locally to Novant Health, Rowan Medical is now below 50 patients for the first time since the Omicron surge began. 

Although this is wonderful news and it is definitely the direction we want to go, Rowan County Public Health still wants to remind you about the importance of getting vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible. Getting vaccinated can lower your risk of getting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. More importantly, getting vaccinated and boosted helps to prevent serious illness and death. The current recommendations for vaccines and booster shots are as follows:  

• Anyone 5 years and older can now receive a COVID-19 vaccine, with children 5-11 years of age now eligible to receive a lower dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
• A person who is 12 years of age and older and who has received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine can now receive their booster 5 months after receiving their second vaccine.
• A person who is 18 years of age and older and who has received both doses of Moderna can now receive their booster 5 months after receiving their second vaccine. 
• A person who is 18 years of age and older and who has received the single dose of J&J can now receive their booster 2 months after receiving their single vaccine.

If you or a loved one still needs to be vaccinated or boosted, please visit our website for more information.

As far as getting tested for COVID-19, especially if you have been exposed to a positive person and/or if you are having symptoms, please visit our website to see where testing is available. For those individuals needing to get tested later in the day and/or on the weekends, Novant Health is now offering testing through Ottendorf Laboratories, LLC, every day of the week, from 8 AM – 6 PM. This testing site is located at 315 Mocksville Avenue and requires an appointment. Appointments can be made by calling 919-390-2550. 

If by chance you are found to be COVID positive or you have come into contact with someone that is COVID positive, please follow the CDC guidelines.  By following these guidelines, you can not only help stop the spread of this virus within your home, but also at your worksite and within our community.

In closing and in addition to getting vaccinated and boosted, everyone still needs to practice the 3Ws to help stop the spread of the virus and reduce our positivity rate. Although we are definitely heading in the right direction, we are still not out of the woods yet. In order to get our community to a healthier place, we must all be responsible and continue to practice the preventable measures that we know help stop the spread of COVID-19.

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PIO Contact:
Amy Smith
704-216-8859
amy.smith@rowancountync.gov

Download Media Release COVID-19 - February 09, 2022 (PDF)