JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — The coronavirus pandemic is finally coming to a close.
The Department of Health and Human Services officially declared Thursday as the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. According to the Onslow County Health Department, there have been around 66,000 cases throughout the course of the pandemic. Onslow Memorial Hospital says during surges, around 60 of 163 beds were filled with COVID-19 patients.
“I feel like the hardest part was sometimes when the patients were declining, because of the visitor policy. We couldn’t have anybody in there from their family to be there to support them. So we had to be that support,” says Jasmine Smith, RN at Onslow Memorial Hospital.
White House looks to move past COVID emergency
COVID-19 in NC: With emergency ending, NCDHHS stops counting new cases
As public health emergency ends, pandemic-era support programs have already been fading away
Officials warn that people at a higher risk and the elderly should still be cautious when it comes to COVID-19. Healthcare workers will still be assisting patients who come in with COVID, so while the national emergency is over, the fight against the virus isn’t.
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