FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 29, 2021
In the week since the last press release, Haywood County Public Health has received notice of 2 new cases of COVID-19. As of 5 p.m. on June 28, 2021, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has recorded a total of 4,497 cases in Haywood County since the pandemic began.
“For the first time since COVID-19 hit our community, we recorded zero new cases over the weekend. This is exciting news, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about what could be around the next corner. It is important to remember that this pandemic has seasons, with ebbs and flows to its presence in the community. Right now we are in a manageable season but we should not look away from the fact that there could be trouble on the horizon. As seen elsewhere in the country, the Delta variant of COVID-19 looms as a potential threat to our communities, most especially to those who are unvaccinated,” said Haywood County Public Health Director Sarah Henderson.
In the coming weeks, Health and Human Services will be expanding its vaccine efforts and bringing FEMA in to help. Vaccination teams will be set up in a variety of locations at festivals and events throughout the county this summer. We are working now with community partners to determine dates, times, and locations for these events.
Now is also a good time to remind everyone that Haywood County Public Health is here for more than just COVID-19 vaccines. There are a variety of programs to meet the needs of the community including:
child health
Women Infant Children (WIC)
childhood immunizations
immunizations for foreign travel
family planning services.
“While the recent focus has been on COVID-19, our priority continues to be improving the health of our community,” said Henderson.
Walk-in vaccination clinic hours are available Monday through Friday during normal business hours at the Haywood County Health Department. Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson and Johnson vaccines available now, no appointment is necessary.
For more information on this or other vaccination sites visit: https://myspot.nc.gov/
Citizens who test positive for COVID-19 are encouraged to reach out to friends or family that meet the close contact criteria, and encourage them to self-quarantine and get tested 5-6 days after their exposure to the individual who tested positive. The end goal is to reduce community spread and keep COVID numbers on the downward trend.
Businesses need to be mindful that having quarantined employees return to work too quickly could cause a cluster of cases in the workplace. We ask that employers rely on the honor system and encourage employees who have been exposed to quarantine for the recommended time frame of 14 days from the date of exposure to help reduce potential spread.
Where to find COVID-19 vaccine information:
