Weaverville's e-Focus Newsletter

February 2021 | Volume 62

COVID-19 Updates from N.C. Department of Health & Human Services

Update from Wednesday, January 27

Gov. Cooper and NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen announced that North Carolina’s Modified Stay At Home Order, requiring people to be at home from 10 p.m.-5 a.m., will be extended. Face covering requirements and restrictions on individuals gathering in both indoor and outdoor settings are still in place. Executive Order 189 will be in effect through at least Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021 at 5 p.m. The extension of Executive Order 190 allowing for the sale of “to-go” or delivery of mixed beverages will continue to help businesses that are struggling right now. The extension of Executive Order 191 will help families have the ability to stay in their homes, a critical component of slowing the spread of the virus. Read the press release.

NCDHHS will continue two programs that help North Carolinians access services such as relief payments, access to primary medical care, diagnostic testing, food and additional supports during the pandemic. The Community Health Worker program supports community health workers in 55 counties to connect North Carolinians with medical and social supports such as diagnostic testing, behavioral health services and education about vaccines. A community health worker is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of the community or who has a close understanding of the community served. This program will continue through June 30. The COVID-19 Support Services program provides assistance such as home-delivered meals and groceries, financial relief payments, COVID-related supplies, transportation to medical or vaccine appointments and medication delivery to individuals in 29 of the 55 counties served by the Community Health Worker program. The Support Services program helps people who need support to be able to quarantine or isolate due to COVID-19. This program will continue until available funds have been spent.

Update from Tuesday, January 26

NCDHHS expanded its vaccine data dashboard to provide information about vaccine doses promised to and received by the state. Users also will be able to see the percent of doses received that have been administered. Today’s dashboard shows 95% of all first doses have been reported as being administered and 812,586 total doses have been administered. NCDHHS also shared more detailed guidance on the process for allocations for the coming weeks to ensure more transparency and certainty now that the state has largely exhausted the backlog of vaccine supply.

Update from Monday, January 25

NCDHHS launched a new online tool to help North Carolinians know when they will be eligible to get their vaccine. Find My Vaccine Group walks users through a series of questions to determine which vaccine group they are in. People can then sign up to be notified when their group can get vaccinated. Read the press release.

Photos from the Town's Socially-Distant Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Observance

Interesting Water Facts

-Submitted by Weaverville Water Services Department

Water Is the most important element of life, without water humans could not survive.

Only 1% of the worlds water can be used as potable water.
A small drip from a faucet can waste as much as 34 gallons of water a day.
A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water.
An estimated 790 million people (11% of the worlds population) live without access to an improved water source.
On average women in developing countries walk 3.7 miles a day to collect water. In Africa alone, women spend 40 billion hours a year walking for water.
More than half the water used in a home is used in the bathroom.
Less than 1% of the water treated by public water suppliers is used for drinking and cooking.
Public water supply represents about 14% of total freshwater withdrawals.
Up to 60% of the human adult body is water.
How much water should you drink a day? Health authorities commonly recommend eight 8-ounce glasses, which equals about 2 liters, or half a gallon. This is called the 8x8 rule and easy to remember.
Drinking enough water is important: Studies show that brain function can be improved by 14% with proper hydration.
According to the EPA, a full bathtub requires about 70 gallons of water, while taking a five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons.
About 6,800 gallons of water is required to grow a day’s food for a family of four.
An acre of corn will give off 4,000 gallons of water per day in evaporation.
To create one pint of beer, it takes 20 gallons of water.