Local DMV offices closed due to COVID-19 exposure risk; Thomasville Medical Center diverting patients because of influx of cases

Aug. 20—Two Department of Motor Vehicles offices in Lexington and Thomasville are temporarily closed after three employees were potentially exposed to the COVID-19 virus. Meanwhile, Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center has started diverting patients to other facilities due to an increase in incoming patients.

Jamie Kritzer, a spokesperson for the N.C. Department of Transportation, said two offices in Davidson County, one at South Main Street in Lexington and in Thomasville on Liberty Drive, have been temporarily closed after three employees were exposed to the virus. A DMV office in Kernersville has also temporarily closed for the same reason.

These employees, who normally work at these locations, were together at a DMV office in Winston-Salem on Saturday. One of the employees later tested positive for the virus potentially exposing the other two.

"We are closing these offices out of an abundance of caution. None of the employees have been in these offices since Saturday. The one that tested positive has been quarantined and we are awaiting the results for the other two...The local health departments have been notified and we will reopen these locations only when it has been determined there is no longer any potential risk of exposure to the public," said Kritzer.

He said the agency encourages anyone who may have been in any of these offices recently to get tested.

In the meantime, those who need to access the DMV should use its online platform or schedule an appointment for in-person services. The N.C. DMV License Plate office at 12 Parkway Plaza in Lexington is still open. There are also DMV offices in Salisbury, High Point, and Winston-Salem that are open for services.

"Everyone is facing challenges these days and the DMV is no different," said Kritzer. "The good news is the DMV has managed to keep services open and active throughout the pandemic."

Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center has also had to divert some patients to other facilities due to a "significant and sharp rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations" as well as higher than usual summer volume of patients for other reasons, according to a spokesperson for the health care system.

"Novant Health has extensive surge planning in place and stands ready to activate, as needed...Recently, Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center temporarily went on diversion to ensure our continued ability to provide the safest care to patients in our community. It's important for our communities to know that we are currently open and have the continued ability to care for them and that they should seek care when they need it," the spokesperson said.

These impacts on local organizations due to COVID-19 come as Davidson County continues to see widespread community transmission of the virus due to the influx of cases due to the Delta variant.

As of Aug. 18, there have been 834 new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in the past 10 days, according to the Davidson County Health Department. This is a 25.6 percent increase according to the Center for Disease Control COVID data tracker.

Out of these cases, 25 have been aged 0 to 4; 49 cases are from children from five to 11 years old and 51 cases are for those aged 12 to 17. In people ages 19 to 24, there have been 98 cases in the past 10 days. There have been 351 cases in adults from 25 to 49 and 176 cases ages 50 to 64. The health department reported there have been 46 cases in people from 65 to 74 and 38 cases in those over 75.

Meanwhile, only 36 percent of the population in Davidson County are fully vaccinated and only 40 percent have had at least one shot.

As of Wednesday, the positivity testing rate, which is the number of people testing positive out of all tests given, has climbed to 18.1 percent. Last month, the positivity rate was less than five percent.

In North Carolina, 48 percent of people are fully vaccinated while 51 percent have had at least one dose.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers someone fully vaccinated two weeks after they've been given a single-dose shot (Johnson & Johnson) or a second shot (either Pfizer or Moderna).

All 100 counties in North Carolina are currently at a red level for community transmission, which means high levels of transmission are at critical levels, according to the Center for Disease Control COVID data tracker.

The NCDHHS surveys hospitals across the state daily to monitor their current hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and their current capacity. This is done through the Healthcare Preparedness Program, which is used to assess hospital capacity during other disasters and emergencies.

The Healthcare Preparedness Program is comprised of eight regions. Davidson County is in the Triad Healthcare Preparedness Coalition with Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell, Catawba, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Iredell, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stokes, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties.

On Aug. 17 there were 667 people in the THPC hospitalized due to COVID-19. As of Wednesday, 91 new patients confirmed to have COVID-19 have been admitted within the last 24 hours.

There are currently 174 patients in the Triad Healthcare Preparedness Coalition in intensive care. This correlated to 25 percent of patients in ICU are there because of the virus.

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, there are only 60 available ICU beds in the THPC right now. There are currently 456 ICU beds in use. The THPC reports there are 578 ventilators available, with 229 currently in use.

General news reporter Sharon Myers can be reached at sharon.myers@the-dispatch.com. Follow her on Twitter @LexDispatchSM.

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