COVID-19 Email Update - August 20, 2020

Limited PPE Available - FREE SHIPPING!

The NCOS currently has a limited number of medical masks available for purchase!

Click here to place your order with free shipping.


A Message From Dr. Rebecca Wartman, NCOS Third Party Liaison


NC DHHS COVID-19 Coalition Call - August 19, 2020

The numbers are still holding steady in NC again as reported in the call yesterday with the NC DHHS COVID-19 Coalition. This is very good news indeed. The increase in number of COVID-19 cluster outbreaks that are occurring on the college campuses was not discussed. The number of tests performed per day remains high and the percentage of positive cases are dropping closer to the desired 5% level at this point. 

Hospitalizations are a key measure to gauge where we stand with COVID-19. The mid-western part of NC is still recording the highest number of cases and hospitalizations. The ICU capacity throughout NC is still adequate and the mid-western region is running closer to 90% capacity for their ICU beds. The number of hospitalized patients had been on a downward trend until the last few days. 

All good news, but the fight is far from over. The current stage 2 closures and plan remain in place until September 11, 2020. The NC DHHS is closely monitoring all trends to ensure we can stay ahead and not have our hospitals overwhelmed.





Today's NC DHHS COVID-19 Stats

Total Positive Cases: 149,904 
Positive Cases Today: 1,972 (Overall 7 day rolling average is falling) 
Total Deaths: 2,465 
Total Tests: 2,003,307 
Total Currently Hospitalized: 1,023 

You can view all the NC DHHS data here


SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #122: NC Medicaid Will Reimburse Providers for COVID-19 Testing for Uninsured North Carolinians

Effective Sept. 1, 2020, NC Medicaid will begin reimbursing COVID-19 testing costs for uninsured individuals enrolled in the NC Medicaid Optional COVID-19 Testing (MCV) program. This option was made available to all states through Section 6004(a)(3) of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). A webinar for providers on the MCV process will be held in the future. 

Information on applications, MCV program eligibility and verifying eligibility can be found here.


NC Job Retention Grants

If your business or non-profit organization experienced interruption due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the new Job Retention Grant (JRG) Program may be able to offer assistance. 

To qualify to receive these grant funds, your organization:

JRG is publishing answers to the most frequent questions about the program here, and you can also review the underlying law that authorizes the program. They are accepting applications from now until the application deadline of Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at 11:59pm. No applications will be accepted after that time. No grants will be awarded before the September 1 deadline, and the potential amount of each grant will not be determined until all applications have been reviewed and awarded. 

Email your questions or comments to: [email protected].


Oleandrin and COVID-19

Dr. Rebecca Wartman Comment: Recently there has been a lot of stories about the use of Oleandrin as a miracle cure for COVID- 19. Oleandrin is a very toxic plant that had not been proven to have medicinal effects in vivo for COVID-19 or any other illness. There is information about this myth you can find here. 

According to the Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute website, Oleandrin has been purported to work on the following: 

  • To treat cancer: Laboratory studies show some anticancer activity in cancer cell lines, but clinical trials have not evaluated the anticancer activities of oleandrin in humans. There is no scientific evidence to support the following claims:
  • To treat congestive heart failure
  • To treat hepatitis C
  • To treat AIDS

However, there is a warning on this site for providers which can be found here. 

The advice is to educate your patients, in no uncertain terms, that Oleandrin is a VERY TOXIC plant and should never be ingested. That there are no scientific medical studies to show it is efficacious for any diseases at this point in time. 


Assessment of Simulated Respiratory Droplet Spread During an Ophthalmologic Slitlamp Examination

Dr. Rebecca Wartman Comment: This study is a very good reason to NEVER see a patient without you and the patient wearing a mask, at the very least. There is at least one optometrist who has died due to COVID-19. There is one OD in Tennessee that I personally know who is fighting for his life right now. And, at this point, we do not have any statistics that are reliable enough to know the true number of optometrist and optometric staff who have become ill. 

Results: The greatest droplet spread was found on the slitlamp and the breath shield. Smaller droplet particles were noted in up to a distance of 5 m from the manikin. This simulation suggests that the use of slitlamp breath shields and standard PPE does not eliminate the projection of droplets onto the examiner's field and his or her chest, shoulders, and arms. The spread of smaller droplets was also identified on the hair, hands, and shoes of the examiner. Further contamination of the floor, walls, and window covers was identified within the room. A video of the simulation that was slowed down by a factor of 8 to 240 frames per second is available online.

Conclusions: In summary, these findings support the use of adjuncts to the current standard PPE and protective barriers, such as breath shields, to try to minimize cross contamination during slitlamp examinations. These may include disposable gowns that provide coverage of the shoulders and arms, gloves, and surgical caps for the examiner. Most importantly, the use of masks for the patient at the slitlamp should be further explored in future studies, because it may offer an easy and inexpensive means of providing protection for the examiner.

Click here to read the full article.


COVID-19 Pushed Older Adults to Telehealth, Quality Concerns Persist

Dr. Rebecca Wartman Comment: Making patients comfortable with telehealth and technology can be a major challenge for providers to fully embrace and institute appropriate telehealth services to patients. 

Although telehealth use is growing among older adults, patients still have fears about privacy and care quality over video visit.

Click here to read the full article.


NCDHHS to Deploy Up to 300 Free Testing Sites in Underserved Communities 

Dr. Rebecca Wartman Comment: This is an older announcement but I thought it was worth repeating in case you have patients or even staff who are in need. NC DHHS discussed this again on the COVID-19 Coalition call on August 19, 2020. 

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services launched the Community testing in High-priority And Marginalized Populations (CHAMP) Initiative to increase access to no-cost COVID-19 testing for African American, LatinX/Hispanic and American Indian communities that currently have limited testing sites.   

A disproportionately high percentage of North Carolina's confirmed cases of COVID-19 have occurred among historically marginalized populations. Mounting evidence shows the members of these populations experience higher rates of COVID-19 mortality and serious complications. 

Increasing access to free testing is key to our ability to respond to and contain COVID-19," said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. "This targeted testing initiative seeks to confront historical health disparities by increasing COVID-19 testing capacity in underserved communities across the state.

Click here to read the full press release.


Beyond COVID-10: An Urgent Message From Palmetto: Jurisdiction J Part B Provider Payments Delayed

Due to an unforeseen system issue, payments to Jurisdiction J Part B providers scheduled for August 18, 2020, and August 19, 2020, are delayed. Palmetto GBA is actively working with the system maintainer to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Jurisdiction J Part B providers should view the full claim payment issue related to this issue and share with appropriate staff. 

Click here for more information.


New Resources

Pediatric SARS-CoV-2: Clinical Presentation, Infectivity, and Immune Responses

Peripheral Immunophenotypes in Children With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Associated With SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Study: Inhibition of PIKfyve Kinase Prevents Infection by Zaire Ebolavirus and SARS-CoV-2

Two Existing Drugs Point to a Potential New Target Against COVID-19

Precision Public Health as a Key Tool in the COVID-19 Response

Myasthenia Gravis Associated With SARS-CoV-2 Infection


A Quick, Cost-Effective Method to Track the Spread of COVID-19 Through Untreated Wastewater

COVID-19 and Masks: Doctor, May I Be Excused?


NCOS COVID-19 Updates & Resources Page

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COVID-19 Statistics

NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center

WorldoMeter Coronavirus Website