Brunswick County reports another coronavirus-related death at nursing home

BOLIVIA, NC (WWAY) — Brunswick County Health Services is reporting the death of another county resident associated to the novel coronavirus.

The person was a resident at the Universal Health Care of Brunswick congregate living facility who received a positive test result for COVID-19. The person was considered a person at high risk for severe illness as they were over the age of 65 and had underlying medical conditions.

This person is the sixth Brunswick County resident and second resident at this congregate care facility to die due to virus, the county says. Health services reported on the passing of the first facility resident this past Saturday, June 27.

“It is with a heavy heart that we received this news today, and this individual’s family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers,” Chairman Frank Williams said.

As of Tuesday, there are now 22 residents and 14 employees at Universal Health Care of Brunswick who have received positive test results for COVID-19. These totals reflect the previously reported cases from June 13, June 17 and June 23 including the two deaths.

“We were saddened to hear that another positive resident at the facility had passed away so suddenly, and we extend our sympathies to those affected by this loss,” Health Services Director Cris Harrelson said. “We urge all our residents to continue to take this virus seriously, as our cases continue to grow among individuals of all ages or health backgrounds. We appreciate the efforts so many have taken to protect the most vulnerable in our communities and support our health care workers, but our work is far from done yet and we need everyone to take the initiative to help slow the spread.”

The county says health services conducts daily check-ins and regular conference calls with the Universal Health Care team to assess the situation and the actions taken to help the patients. Since June 23, Universal Health Care identified two more residents and three more employees through a third round of testing.

People can take simple actions each day to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, particularly through asymptomatic spread. Everyone is urged to follow the three Ws when visiting any public area to best protect one another. These efforts work best when they are all practiced together by as many people as possible:

• Wear a cloth face covering when in public (Make sure both your nose and mouth are fully covered and you are able to breathe normally while wearing it.)
• Wait six feet apart to avoid close contact and maintain appropriate social distancing between yourself and others
• Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer while also following other best hygiene practices