COVID-19 Outbreaks Reported At 2 Iredell Nursing Homes

MOORESVILLE, NC — Two new outbreaks of COVID-19 were confirmed at long term care facilities in Statesville and Mooresville, Iredell County Health Department said Monday.

The outbreaks, which are considered two or more cases, were reported at Accordius Health of Mooresville and Accordius Health of Statesville. "Both facilities have willingly worked in conjunction with the Iredell County Health Department to have all residents and employees tested weekly for COVID-19 as a precautionary measure," ICHD said in a statement.

The news comes as Iredell County reported 2,160 COVID-19 confirmed cases in the county as of Monday, 60 more than reported Friday.

As of Monday, 22 Iredell County residents had lost their lives to coronavirus-related illness, and 16 remained hospitalized for COVID-19 illness, ICHD said. Out of the total tally of known cases in the county, 431 residents remained isolated in their homes as of Monday afternoon and an estimated 1,691 cases were assumed recovered.

SEE ALSO: Iredell School's COVID-19 Case Leads To Quarantine Of 7th Grade

As of Monday, North Carolina had 145,516 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 564 newly confirmed cases reported Aug. 17, according to data released by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in North Carolina. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily.

Iredell County health officials are grouping cases into three regions of the county: North, Central and South. Here's a breakdown of where cases have been confirmed as of 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17:

North Region (zip codes 27020, 27028, 27055, 28625, 28634, 28636, 28660, 28689 and 28678)

• 450 cases (up from 445 cases reported Aug. 14)

Central Region (zip codes 27013, 28166, 28677)

• 874 cases (up from 837 cases reported Aug. 14)

South Region (zip codes 28036, 28115, 28117, 28125)

• 836 cases (up from 818 cases reported Aug. 14)

Monday marked the start of a new school year across North Carolina, with schools launching classes through either virtually or through a hybrid plan that reduced the number of students in school buildings at one time. In Statesville, plans for the beginning of the school year were abruptly changed to all remote learning for all seventh grade students at Triple Creek Middle School after a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 was associated with the school, Iredell-Statesville Schools announced Sunday.

"A student/employee at Third Creek Middle School has tested positive for COVID-19 virus," the school district said. "As a result of the positive COVID-19 result and the Iredell Health Department requirement for close contacts to quarantine for 14 days, all 7th grade students and teachers at Third Creek Middle will begin the year with remote learning."

While all 159 seventh grade students at the Statesville school will begin with remote learning, sixth and eight grades were set to continue on the modified in-person schedule at the school Monday, Aug. 17.

Globally, more than 21 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 776,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Monday afternoon. In the United States, more than 5.4 million people have been infected and more than 170,000 people have died from COVID-19.

SEE ALSO:

• How Coronavirus Affects North Carolina Kids: 5 Things To Know
• Want To Vote By Mail? Deadline For Registering To Vote Is Oct. 9
  
• Police Launch Search For Missing Mooresville Teen
  
• NC Launches Job Retention Grant Program: How To Apply