Second Brunswick County resident dies of coronavirus

BOLIVIA, N.C. – Brunswick County Public Health is reporting the second death of a county resident associated to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) today.

The individual passed away Wednesday, April 15. The patient was considered a person at high risk for severe illness as they were over the age of 65 and had some underlying medical conditions.

This individual was the contact of a previously reported positive case among county residents who had become symptomatic after returning from travel outside of Brunswick County. There is no known contact with children between either of these individuals.

To protect the families’ privacy, no further information about this patient will be released.

“We are saddened to hear of the passing of another resident in our county, and we extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of this individual,” Chairman Frank Williams said. “I encourage all our residents to continue to remain calm and to follow the health best practices our local, state and federal experts are communicating to us. Together we can all make a difference in protecting one another from this contagious disease.”

This is the second Brunswick County resident to pass away from the virus. The County reported the first resident to pass away Friday, April 3. Additionally, the County was notified about the death of a non-resident who was visiting the county and passed away while isolating Friday, April 10.

“We continue to keep those who have lost their lives and those who are fighting the virus in our thoughts at all times,” Health and Human Services Director David Stanley said. “We cannot stress enough how important it is that everyone follows the social distancing and stay at home orders our leaders have issued. Our actions can both protect our most vulnerable populations and help our health and safety professionals who are working long hours through stressful situations to try to help people recover and survive this disease.”

Brunswick County also received notification Wednesday that an eighth non-resident who was visiting the county has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. This individual was the contact of a previously reported non-resident case who is isolating with other contacts including children as a result.

At this time, most of the County’s resident and non-resident positive tests have some relation to travel outside of Brunswick County. However, there have been a few positive cases now that were potentially caused by community transmission due to the individuals’ lack of travel history or known exposure.

If you or someone visiting you recently traveled to Brunswick County from another country, another state (including South Carolina), or even another county in North Carolina, take responsible, proactive measures to quarantine yourself and any fellow travelers for 14 days now. Quarantining is essential to protect your health and to avoid potentially exposing strangers to the virus if you start to develop symptoms.