Wake County FAQs

The term "cluster" refers to a situation in which five or more cases have been associated with a location, such as a business. An "outbreak" occurs when two or more cases have been associated with a group living facility, such as a nursing home.

According to the CDC, it may be possible for a person to "get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes."

While anyone can contract COVID-19, adults older than 65, people with underlying health conditions and pregnant women should take extra precautions as they may be at higher risk for developing serious illness associated with the disease.

Social distancing is a public health strategy that prevents close contact between people with the aim to reduce opportunities for disease transmission. Tactics that people can use to support social distancing include maintaining six feet of space between each other when in public and avoiding events with large numbers of people. The goal is to slow the spread of COVID-19 so that spread is contained as much as possible and there’s less strain on our healthcare system to care for sick people. The goal is to slow the spread of COVID-19, so fewer people get sick and there’s less strain on our healthcare system. For more information, visit here.

If you have been in close contact with a known positive case of COVID-19, you are a good candidate for our free drive-thru testing.

You should stay home for 14 days, as much as possible, and monitor yourself for symptoms. If you develop symptoms, self-isolate for 10 days after the onset of symptoms and at least three days after symptoms resolve.

Facemasks should be used to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. The use of facemasks is also crucial for health workers and people who are taking care of someone in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).

CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.

The state of North Carolina requires face masks in public anytime you are not in a position to stay at least six feet apart.

If you believe you have symptoms of COVID-19, you can be tested at one of the testing locations throughout Wake County.

If serious illness develops, call your primary care provider. If you have trouble breathing, call 9-1-1.

The Wake County Animal Center is monitoring how COVID-19 may affect pets, following reports of pets in the U.S. having tested positive for the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Routine testing of domestic animals for COVID-19 is not currently recommended.

Until we know more, the CDC recommends pet owners take the following precautions:

• Do not let pets interact with people or other animals outside the household.
• Keep cats indoors when possible to prevent them from interacting with other animals or people.
• Walk dogs on a leash, maintaining at least 6 feet from other people and animals.
• Avoid dog parks or public places where a large number of people and dogs gather.

If you have symptoms or a confirmed case of COVID-19, restrict contact with your pets and other animals, just like you would around other people.

• When possible, have another member of your household care for your pets while you are sick.
• Avoid contact with your pet, including petting, snuggling, being kissed or licked, and sharing food or bedding.
• If you must care for your pet or be around animals while you are sick, wear a cloth face covering and wash your hands before and after you interact with them.
• Follow general guidelines for staying healthy around animals.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. In rare cases, a strain that infects animals can spread to people. The CDC does not know its exact source, but the coronavirus that caused the current outbreak of COVID-19 is suspected to have originated in animals and spread to people.

At this time, there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the new coronavirus, according to the CDC. Based on the limited information available to date, the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is considered to be low.

Starting Sept. 28, nursing homes, long-term care facilities and assisted living centers may allow for indoor visitations. To participate, nursing homes must meet several requirements, including, but not limited to:

• Not having a current outbreak within 14 days;
• Percentage of positive COVID-19 tests in the county they are located is less than 10%;
• Having a testing plan and updated written Infection Control or Preparedness plan for COVID-19; and
• Having adequate personal protective equipment.

Details are outlined in N.C. DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen’s Secretarial Order,  which was signed on Sept. 28.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services has posted a guide for individuals and families to avoid spreading COVID-19 within the home. Just like the general public, caretakers and those who share a home with someone in the increased risk group should take steps to limit their exposure to all kinds of contagious diseases, including COVID-19. If people think they’ve contracted COVID-19, they should take steps to avoid spreading the virus to anyone else, including those in their home or care who are in the higher-risk group. The CDC has additional resources for families to avoid spreading the disease among themselves.

If you fall into one of the following categories, you are a good candidate for our free drive-thru testing:

• Have COVID-like symptoms – fever, cough, shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, loss of smell;
• Have been in close contact with a known positive case of COVID-19;
• Are a healthcare worker or first responder;
• Work in high-risk settings like long-term care facilities, correctional facilities and homeless shelters;
• Are 65 years old or older;
• Have underlying health conditions;
• Are a member of a vulnerable or historically marginalized population;
• Are a front-line worker in a setting where social distancing is difficult; or
• Have attended protests, rallies or other mass gatherings.

If you have symptoms, self-isolate for 10 days after the onset of symptoms. If you develop serious illness, call your primary care doctor for evaluation. If you experience difficulty breathing, call 9-1-1.

Community spread means that there are COVID-19-positive people who do not know how or where they became infected with the virus.

Now that North Carolina has community transmission of the virus, we have moved to a community-based mitigation strategy, aimed at decreasing the spread, especially among those most at risk of serious illness. In this phase, testing and contact tracing are more focused than in the broad-based containment approach we executed early in the outbreak. 

This change in strategy allows us to be more vigilant about conserving resources like personal protective equipment for our healthcare workers and directing testing to those more likely to become seriously ill.

We have set up a few different phone numbers depending on your question. Visit our "Contact" page to get the email address of phone number best-suited for your need.

The Wake County Public School System, Wake County and its partners are working together to make sure that food is available to hungry students during these unprecedented times. If you would like to volunteer to support food distribution sites, please complete the Food Security and Access Volunteer Form.

Please direct all food donations to the Interfaith Food Shuttle or Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC.

Antibody tests measure proteins called immunoglobulins, that the body produces to help fight off infections. It takes time for our immune systems to make antibodies, which is why the test is done after symptoms go away. The test helps determine if someone had an immune response to COVID-19 but does not tell us if the person has COVID-19 currently.

There is still a lot we don’t know about SarsCoV-2 or COVID-19, including interpretation of Antibody tests. According to the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), there are at least 90 tests on the market, and we don’t yet know which ones are best.

We aren’t sure. Right now, we don’t know enough about the test to determine its accuracy. It’s unknown whether the test can tell the difference between past infections from SARS-CoV-2 and the six other coronaviruses, four of which cause the common cold. It’s important to note that the antibody test is not a replacement for the diagnostic test.

If you are having symptoms of COVID-19, you should:

• Stay away from other people for 10 days after your symptoms begin
• When you no longer have symptoms, you should stay home without fever for three more days
• If you feel you need medical care, call your doctor. If you have trouble breathing, call 9-1-1.

No. According to the World Health Organization, there is currently not enough evidence to tell us that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection. At this point, until testing improves, and we understand more about the virus, everyone is still considered at risk.

This test is done after recovery from COVID-19, to detect an immune response from exposure. However, until the accuracy of the tests can be determined, there’s not much health officials can do with results. At this point, residents and/or providers do not need to report their results to the Wake County Division of Public Health or the North Carolina Division of Health and Human Services.

Cautions about the use of antibody results

• The presence of COVID-19 antibodies cannot currently be used to diagnose someone as having COVID-19.
• Positive antibody results cannot tell us with certainty that someone is “immune” to future infection. If protection does exist, we don’t know for how long.
• Positive results cannot certify people as safe to work or travel if they’ve already been sick.
• Positive results cannot tell us with certainty that the antibody detected is specifically due to COVID-19, and not another coronavirus (e.g. common cold).
• Negative results do not rule out the possibility of COVID-19 infection. If you have symptoms of infection, ask your doctor about testing for presence of the virus itself.

If your business is in Wake County and you have up to 100 employees, your business may qualify for a Wake Forward loan. Learn more here.

The steps are easy! Just visit our Wake Forward webpage to get started.

No. If you have already applied for NC Rapid Recovery you are automatically considered for the Wake Forward program. You can only receive one loan from either program.

No. Businesses can only receive one loan from either NC Rapid Recovery or Wake Forward.