Dare County Reports 54 COVID-19 Cases March 17-23
The Dare County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reports 54 new COVID-19 cases in the last week, March 17-23.
The total COVID-19 positive case count in Dare County is 2,907 of which there are 30 active cases among residents of Dare County.
This past week, there was an increase in the number of new positive COVID-19 cases in Dare County, at 52. More than ⅓ of these new cases were linked to small outbreaks among employees at 3 different businesses and nearly all of the remaining new cases were linked to direct contact between family members and close friends. The percent of positive tests to total tests for this past week increased from 8.13% to 9.76%.
Since the last report on 3/16, there have been 54 new COVID-19 cases. Of these 54 new cases:
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45 (83%) are symptomatic
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50 (92%) acquired the virus by direct contact with an individual or individuals who were positive for COVID-19.
While the number of individuals who have been getting sick from COVID has been on the decline over the past month, this past week’s data reminds us that the virus is still present in our community and still very contagious.
The DHHS has a great arsenal of tools now to combat the spread of COVID-19 including practicing the 3Ws (wear a face covering, wait 6 ft apart from others and washing your hands) and getting your COVID vaccine. Over the past six weeks, the DHHS has seen a dramatic decline in the number of individuals 65 and over who have contracted the virus. In large part this is because this population was the first to be vaccinated and there was a very large number of individuals in this age group get vaccinated.
The DHHS is pleased to share that there have not been any cases in Dare County of fully vaccinated individuals getting the COVID-19 virus. If you have not yet registered to get your COVID-19 vaccine, the DHHS strongly encourages you to do so.
COVID-19 Vaccine
Over the past 11 weeks, the DHHS has provided 10,628 initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and have fully vaccinated 8,644 individuals. Over the next week, they will administer an additional 2,320 first doses and 600 second doses.
A common question the DHHS has been fielding recently, is how many of the local vaccinations are going to those who live in Dare County. Based on the data the DHHS was able to pull from the state’s COVID Vaccine Management System, 93.8% (17,065) of the 18,815 vaccinations provided by our department through 3/18/2021 have been provided to individuals with a Dare County address. The second highest geographical area served by local vaccination clinics is Currituck County. The DHHS has vaccinated 480 individuals with a Currituck County address. The DHHS has provided a total of 474 vaccinations to individuals who listed a permanent residence outside of North Carolina. These are individuals who may own property in North Carolina or who are working in Dare County on a temporary basis.
As we move closer to the busy summer season the DHHS strongly encourages anyone who wishes to be vaccinated to please go to the county’s website now at www.darenc.com/covidvaccine to complete the vaccination request form. Staff will then call you to schedule an appointment, as appointments are available. The DHHS asks for your continued patience as they anticipate it could take 1-2 weeks to get an appointment from the time you register on-line.
If you have registered on the website for a vaccine and no longer need your appointment, please email the DHHS at [email protected] so they can remove you from our waitlist. Additionally, please only register one time through the website. If you are unsure if your registration was successfully submitted you may call the department at 252-475-5008 or send an email at [email protected] to check. This will help us be as efficient as possible when scheduling appointments.
Key Metrics
This past week there were 533 COVID-19 diagnostic tests reported in Dare County. This brings the total number of tests performed since early March of last year to 35,011. There were 52 positive cases between March 15 and March 21. The percent of positive tests to overall tests in Dare County since the DHHS started testing in March 2020 increased slightly this past week to 8.29%. The percent of positive tests to total tests for the past week alone increased to 9.76%. Syndromic surveillance of individuals presenting with COVID like symptoms to the emergency department and urgent care centers, showed low levels of activity. These graphs can be found on the dare county website at www.darenc.com/covid19.
“Non-resident” cases are those who do not have a Dare County address listed on their identification card, including visitors, non-resident property owners, individuals living and working in Dare County for the summer, and those who may have recently moved to the area and have not yet been able to update their identification card.
Cloth face masks or coverings are mandatory to be worn in any public spaces where social distancing can’t be maintained in Dare County and throughout North Carolina.
Local and state health officials continue to strongly encourage everyone to follow the 3 Ws – wear a cloth face covering if you will be with other people, wait at least six feet apart and avoid close contact with other people, and wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer.
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