BOH Final Minutes of January 27, 2021

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MINUTES - Draft ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH January 27, 2021 • The NCIPH has some new free virtual online Board of Health Trainings. It is required, for Accreditation purposes, that all new members complete the training within their first year. • Last week, the NCALHD formally sent a request to NCDHHS for another extension for the Re-Accreditation process to allow the LHDs continue their focus on COVID. The current COVID extension is due to expire in April 2021. If the request is not approved, the OCHD will receive our 90 day letter towards the end of this year, with the site visit occurring early 2022. • NCALHD set their priorities for the year 2021. The priorities include the intent to focus on some recovery items related to the COVID-19 pandemic, provide healthcare for uninsured North Carolinians and to continue lobbying to restore the women's and children's health block grant funding to the LHDs. In 2011, there were some reappropriations done that resulted in a 2.2 million dollar reduction across the state to LHDs. C. COVID-19 Update Quintana Stewart, Health Director, gave an update on the COVID-19 status in Orange County (OC) as well as took questions from the Board. Some highlights are below. • As of today, o There are 6,501 confirmed cases and 80 deaths in OC related to COVID. o Over the last 14 days, our case count is 446 per 100,000 residents. o There were 342 new cases in the last 7 days, an average of 49-50 new cases daily. • The percent positive tests percentage is currently at 3.6%, below the ideal percentage of 5% or less; however, community transmission is high. • Last week, Mecklenburg County detected the new variant strain of COVID. Although this strain is highly transmissible, we are currently being told that the current vaccines are still effective against this new strain. • Last week, the State updated the COVID County System Alert. We are currently considered orange status. We now have substantial community spread. • CDC made an official statement about students returning to school for in-class instruction. We've been in communication with the Orange County and Chapel Hill- Carrboro City Schools districts. They are working with the ABC Collaborative, which completed a comprehensive study across the state with the schools that already have in- person classroom instruction. They found that it is possible for children to attend school and be safe but it only seemed possible for that to occur in schools that are very rigid and strict about following the masking requirements, social distancing and practicing good hand hygiene. It was also found that there was low transmission in the schools. • In regards to the COVID vaccine: o As of yesterday, Orange County (inclusive of UNC Health & the OCHD) have vaccinated 15,860 individuals with the 1st dose and 3,994 individuals with their 2nd dose of COVID vaccine. o The OCHD has administered 1st dose vaccinations to 3,018. We began administering 2nd doses this past weekend where there were 305 doses given. o Ms. Stewart referenced the OCHD's recent press release. The OCHD has exhausted all of our 1st dose allocation of COVID vaccine. We've been without 1st dose allocations for the last 3 weeks. The state took a large portion of the vaccine allocation and committed it to the some of the mega vaccination events that took place in the state which resulted in several counties and hospitals S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agenda &Abstracts\2021 Agenda &Abstracts/ January Page 5