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Officials Release More Information About Forsyth Coronavirus Cases

Forsyth County Public Health Director Joshua Swift briefs commissioners about the department's response to the coronavirus. KERI BROWN/WFDD

The number of coronavirus cases in North Carolina continues to grow. As of now, there are 15, and two of those are in Forsyth County.

Local health officials say both people are isolated at home and doing well. The cases are related to travel outside of the United States. Forsyth County officials didn't release further details citing privacy reasons.

But according to officials with North Carolina Health and Human Services, the cases involve a couple that had recently been on a cruise.

Joshua Swift is director of Forsyth's Public Health Department. He says they will conduct what's called contact tracing to contain any potential spread.

“We identify the individuals. We isolate the individuals for 14 days with this COVID-19 and then we do what's called contact tracing where we identify close contacts that they may have come in contact with,” he says.

Swift describes close contact as being within around 6 feet of a person with the virus for 10 minutes or longer.

He says some important things people can do to protect themselves include practicing good hygiene by washing hands frequently, sanitizing surfaces, and staying at home if sick.

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

 

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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