Dare County Reports 5 COVID-19 Cases on Sept. 8th; Updates on 9 Most Recent
The Dare County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has received five new positive COVID-19 test results today, bringing the total number now to 477 cases, as of Tuesday (9/8/20) evening.
These most recent cases include one male resident of Dare in the 18-24 age group, one female resident in the 18-24 age group, and one male resident in the 25-49 age group, all three of which are recovering in isolation outside of the county, as well as one female non-resident in the 18-24 age group and one male non-resident in the 50-4 age group, both of which have been transferred to isolation in their home counties.
The total COVID-19 positive case count in Dare County is 477 of which there are 10 active cases among residents of Dare County. Of the 477 cases, 256 are residents and 221 are non-residents.
Since the last Dare County DHHS Update issued Friday, September 4, 2020 there have been 12 new positive cases. Of these 12 cases, 9 are residents and 3 are non-residents. The Dare County website has already been updated to reflect all of these cases.
Of the 9 resident cases since Friday, September 4th:
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4 of the cases are not connected. All are symptomatic. Three are college students. All 4 acquired the virus by direct contact with individuals who tested positive outside of Dare County
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3 of the cases are family members and are all symptomatic. They acquired the virus by direct contact with an individual who tested positive outside of Dare County.
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2 of the cases are not connected. Both are symptomatic. It is unclear how these individuals acquired the virus which indicates community spread.
Of the 3 non-resident cases since Friday, September 4th:
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1 individual is symptomatic and acquired the virus by direct contact with an individual who tested positive outside of Dare County.
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1 individual is asymptomatic. It is unclear how this individual acquired the virus.
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1 individual is symptomatic. It is unclear how this individual acquired the virus.
Contact tracing has been completed on all of the cases and direct contacts provided by these individuals have been identified, notified, and directed to quarantine for 14 days from the last date of exposure with the positive case. The 14 day quarantine requirement is very important to slowing the spread of the virus as the incubation period for this virus is 2 – 14 days.
Given the current population in Dare County and the level of activity and interactions, the DHHS is seeing relatively low numbers of new cases. This is encouraging and shows the effectiveness of taking the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Everyone is asked to please remain vigilant by following the 3Ws to help reduce the spread COVID-19.
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Wear a cloth face covering if you will be with other people.
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Wait 6 feet apart. Avoid close contact.
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Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer
Key Metrics
Each week the DHHS reviews the 4 key metrics associated with disease investigation and surveillance. The metrics are:
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Number of Tests
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Confirmed Cases
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Positive Tests as a Percent of Total Tests
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COVID Like Illness Surveillance
This past week, there were 444 COVID-19 diagnostic tests performed in Dare County by local healthcare providers. This brings the total number of tests performed since early March to 11,313. Over the past 2 weeks we have seen a drop in the number of COVID-19 diagnostic tests performed. This drop in testing also corresponds to a reduction in the number of individuals presenting to the emergency department and urgent care centers with COVID-19 related symptoms. There were 22 positive cases between August 31 and September 6. The percent of positive tests to overall tests in Dare County since we started testing in early March increased slightly this week to 4.16%. The percent positive to total tests for the past week alone also increased to 4.96%. As previously mentioned, syndromic surveillance of the emergency department and the local urgent care centers showed a decrease last week in the number of individuals presenting with COVID-19 related symptoms. These graphs can be found on the dare county website at www.darenc.com/covid19
Testing
The testing guidelines in North Carolina have not changed despite some recent language changes in the CDC testing guidance for COVID-19. Anyone who wishes to be tested for COVID-19 can get a test. There are 5 locations in Dare County which provide testing. These locations can be found on our website at darenc.com/covid19, under the testing frequently asked questions. We strongly encourage anyone who is experiencing symptoms to be tested as well as anyone who may have come into contact with someone who has COVID-19. We know asymptomatic individuals can spread the virus. If you are sick and do not have a prior exposure, testing will allow you to either rule out or confirm a diagnosis of COVID-19. This information is valuable in helping reduce the spread of the virus to others, if you indeed have a positive test result. If you have questions about testing or locations please feel free to call the COVID-19 call center, open Monday – Friday from 8:30 am – 5 pm at 252-475-5008.
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