LUMBERTON — Two more Robeson County residents have died of COVID-19, and 45 more residents have tested positive for the virus, the Robeson County Health Department reported Monday.

The two deaths brings to eight the number of county residents that have died of the new coronavirus. A 69-year-old man, who tested positive on May 5, and a 70-year-old woman, who tested positive recently, are the most recent deaths, according to the Health Department. Both had underlying health conditions.

In total, Robeson County has had 415 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March 21.

Of the 45 new cases, 25 were male and 20 were female. The oldest new virus patient was 85 years old, and two 2-year-old children were the youngest.

The local hospital tested 26 of the confirmed cases. Two were tested at a private clinic, and 17 were tested outside Robeson County at either a hospital, quick-care facility or private clinic.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Service has said that 14 days after testing positive an individual is considered recovered unless he or she has been hospitalized, in which case it would be 28 days, according to the county Health Department.

By those criteria, of the 174 Robeson County residents who tested positive before April 27, four people have died, eight have been hospitalized, and an estimated 162 county residents who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered, according to the county Health Department.

Southeastern Regional Medical Center reported Monday that 14 patients were in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 and eight hospital employees were in quarantine.

There are 15,045 confirmed cases in 99 of the state’s 100 counties, 550 state residents have died of the virus and 464 residents remain hospitalized, the NCDHHS reported on Monday.

Drive-through COVID-19 testing starts Tuesday at Robeson Health Care Corporation’s St. Pauls Health Center, located at 128 E. Broad St. in St. Pauls. The drive-through operation’s hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday. It will take one to two days to get results, which will be given to the Robeson County Health Department.

Testing is taking place by appointment only at the other four RHCC facilities in Robeson County. An appointment can be made at Lumberton Health Center, located at 1309 E. Fifth St. in Lumberton, by calling 910-739-1666. To make an appointment at Julian T. Pierce Health Center, at 307 E. Wardell Drive in Pembroke, call 910-521-2816. Call 910-844-5253 to make an appointment at Maxton Medical Center, located at 610 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Maxton. An appointment can be made at South Robeson Medical Center, located at 212 S. Walnut St. in Fairmont, by calling 910-628-6711.

Rempac Foam, LLC, in Lumberton has installed a state-of-the-art Viking Pure generator at the facility located at 2005 Starlite Drive in Lumberton, which has been producing cleaning products and necessary components for personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The generator allows the plant to produce two kinds of natural cleaning agents: a surface cleaner called PureClean and a sanitizer called PureSan on-site. The PureSan solution is highly effective at killing pathogens, including coronaviruses, while remaining safe and nontoxic. These cleaning agents are being used to keep Rempac’s employee safe during the pandemic.

“Our employees are family to us. We care deeply about their health and appreciate all the hard work being exhibited to keep things running during this uncertain time,” said Marc Bushell, co-owner of Rempac Foam. “The Viking system is a big part of our overall corporate strategy at staying safe. I did it because I thought it would be the most effective without toxicity. It was the right thing to do for the health and safety of our employees and I wouldn’t have to worry about a supply scarcity of disinfectants.”

“I love that this system allows us to disinfect and clean our facility and keep our employees safe by using electrolyzed water, a safe and non-toxic material that is extremely effective,” said Alan Bushell, co-owner of Rempac. “Having the ability to use the product while operating the plant is extremely beneficial to us as an essential business. It means zero down time so we can spend our time responding to our customers’ orders.”

The system went fully operational this past week and is being used to disinfect and clean the facility daily.

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Pastor Bengamin Aguilar of Iglesia La Luz del Mundo (The Light of the World Church), middle, and church members deliver on Saturday morning bags of apples, juices and protein bars to healthcare workers at Southeastern Regional Medical Center. The church donated 10 bags to SRMC and 10 to the Lumberton Police Department to show appreciation of their services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/web1_churchgive.jpgPastor Bengamin Aguilar of Iglesia La Luz del Mundo (The Light of the World Church), middle, and church members deliver on Saturday morning bags of apples, juices and protein bars to healthcare workers at Southeastern Regional Medical Center. The church donated 10 bags to SRMC and 10 to the Lumberton Police Department to show appreciation of their services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Number of county cases rises by 45

Staff report