Orange County NC Website
MINUTES <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH <br /> June 22, 2022 <br /> B. Annual Communicable Disease Report <br /> Michael DeFranco, Personal Health Services Manager, gave an overview of the communicable <br /> disease (CD) data for the year 2021, which began with the purpose of the CD program within <br /> the health department. The CD program consists of five nurses. Reportable diseases are <br /> flagged by the state and sent to local health departments where they are investigated. While <br /> the individual's care is the primary concern, there are also follow-ups with them, medical <br /> facilities, etc. He also noted that the presentation of this report meets Accreditation Benchmark <br /> 2.5. Below are some of brief presentation highlights. <br /> Vaccine Preventable Diseases — <br /> • These have declined because of mask wearing. <br /> Vectorborne Illnesses— <br /> • June 2022 is prime time tick season, which is a prevalent time for tick-borne illnesses in <br /> OC. The lone star tick has been migrating as more are being seen in OC. If more <br /> resources were available, tick hotspots could be mapped and messaging sent alerting <br /> those in that area. <br /> Waterborne Illnesses — <br /> • There was an increase of legionellosis; although, cryptosporidium numbers have <br /> declined. <br /> Sexually Transmitted Illnesses (STI) — <br /> • Chlamydia and gonorrhea continue to be the highest cases of STIs in OC. <br /> COVID-19— <br /> • There were almost 3 million lab-reported cases in NC. At-home tests are not included in <br /> those numbers. Many people have had one or more variants and weren't aware. <br /> • Since March 2020, there has been 31,000 cases and 136 deaths in OC. Demographics <br /> of confirmed cases, broken down by race, age, gender, etc., can be found on the <br /> NCDHHS Covid-19 Dashboard. <br /> • The COVID-19 vaccination response: <br /> o On December 23, 2020, the first administration of vaccine by the OCHD mobile <br /> team was completed at Apogee group home. <br /> o The first Points of Dispensing (PODs) occurred at Cedar Ridge High School. <br /> Afterwards, more PODs were held at various locations such as the UNC RR lot, <br /> churches and community centers in which larger quantities of vaccines could be <br /> distributed. <br /> o OCHD staff continues to operate a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the SHSC on <br /> Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Mako Labs operates a drive-thru parking <br /> lot model vaccine clinic in Hillsborough. <br /> o Pediatric (ages 6 months+) Moderna and Pfizer vaccinations will be available <br /> starting Friday. The Janssen vaccination is only available for those ages 18+. <br /> 0 84% of eligible population has been fully vaccinated. There is still some <br /> hesitancy amongst the 5-11 year olds; many are not returning to get boosters. <br /> o Moving forward: <br /> ➢ OCHD would like to make COVID-19 vaccinations part of the OCHD's clinic <br /> vaccinations. A process eliminate double documentation needs to be <br /> S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agenda &Abstracts\2022 Agenda &Abstracts/ <br /> June Page 3 <br />