COVID case counts continue to climb in Henderson County

Rebecca Walter, Hendersonville Times-News
·2 min read
Pardee Hospital
Pardee Hospital

More than 2,000 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Henderson County in the last two weeks, and hospitalizations remain high.

NCDHHS reports 2,218 new COVID-19 cases in Henderson County in the last 14 days. In Transylvania County, 506 cases have been confirmed in the last two weeks, and 446 in Polk County.

Henderson County’s cumulative COVID case count with NCDHHS is 22,526 with 244 reported deaths. In Transylvania County, 5,606 cases and 57 deaths have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic. For Polk County, the cumulative case total is 3,435 with 49 deaths.

Delays in laboratories reporting tests may occur as laboratories are processing unprecedented numbers of COVID-19 tests, NCDHHS notes.

Local hospitalizations

As of Friday, Jan. 28, Pardee UNC Health Care was caring for 32 patients hospitalized for COVID-19, with seven of those patients requiring intensive care, according to Chief Medical Officer Greg McCarty.

On Friday, AdventHealth Hendersonville was caring for 20 COVID-19 patients.

“This is the lowest number of COVID-19+ patients in the hospital this week,” Communications Director Victoria Dunkle said. “We reached a high of 25 positive patients earlier in the week.”

Drive-thru testing at the health department

Starting Jan. 31, drive-thru COVID-19 community testing will be offered at the Henderson County Department of Public Health, 1200 Spartanburg Highway in Hendersonville.

PCR testing will be available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Registration is strongly encouraged prior to arrival. A registration link will be posted on the Health Department website, www.hendersoncountync.gov/health.

Free N95 respirators, COVID tests given to Henderson County agencies

Thousands of free N95 respirators and COVID-19 tests have been given to community agencies to target populations with a high need for protection.

The Henderson County Department of Public Health, Department of Social Services and Emergency Management recently received 22,000 N95 respirators from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

Agencies who received respirators and/or tests:

  • Blue Ridge Community College

  • Calvary Food Pantry

  • Children & Family Resource Center

  • Council on Aging

  • Crossnore Communities for Children

  • FernLeaf Community Charter School

  • Henderson County Department of Social Services

  • Henderson County Detention Center

  • Henderson County Public Schools

  • Hendersonville Rescue Mission

  • Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach

  • Hope Coalition

  • Interfaith Assistance Ministry

  • Institute for Preventative Healthcare and Advocacy

  • Only Hope WNC

  • Pan de Vida Food Pantry

  • Safelight

  • Smart Start Partnership for Children

  • The Housing Assistance Corporation

  • The Mountain Community School

  • The Salvation Army

  • Thrive

  • True Ridge

  • UNETE Inc.

  • WNC Source (formerly WCCA)

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Over 2,000 cases of COVID reported in Henderson County in last 2 weeks