Dare County Reports 41 COVID-19 Cases April 28-May 4
The Dare County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reports 41 new cases of COVID-19 April 28-May 4.
Last week there were 44 new positive cases reported in Dare County. The total COVID-19 positive case count for Dare County is 3,157, of which there are 21 active cases among residents of Dare County.
Since the last report on 4/27, there have been 41 new COVID-19 cases. Of these 41 new cases:
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30 (72%) are symptomatic
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35 (86%) acquired the virus by direct contact with an individual or individuals who were positive for COVID-19.
Contact tracing investigations of new positive cases now also includes assessing vaccination status. In the month of April there were five breakthrough cases reported in Dare County. A breakthrough case is where a fully vaccinated individual has a laboratory confirmed positive COVID diagnostic test. Fully vaccinated means 14 days post receipt of the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or 14 days post receipt of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Information on breakthrough cases can be found on the CDC’s website at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/health-departments/breakthrough-cases.html#:~:text=Establishing%20a%20vaccine%20breakthrough%20case
Of the five breakthrough cases in Dare County, four of the individuals experienced mild to moderate symptoms and one individual was asymptomatic. Three of the symptomatic individuals acquired the virus by direct contact with an unvaccinated individual/individuals. It is unclear how the other two individuals acquired the virus. Two of the breakthrough cases received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, one received the Pfizer vaccine and two received the Moderna vaccine.
The virus continues to be predominantly spread by direct contact between family members, co-workers, and close friends. We know we can control the spread of the virus by practicing the 3Ws. Please wear a face covering, wait 6 ft. apart from others and wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer. In addition to the 3Ws, the most effective tool in controlling the spread of this virus is to get your COVID vaccine.
COVID-19 Vaccine
It continues to be easier and quicker than ever to get your COVID-19 vaccine. Any NC resident, property owner or employee working in N.C., can simply schedule a vaccine appointment with the DHHS by going online to darenc.com/covidvaccine or by calling the COVID call center at 252-475-5008. You may also contact one of the many area pharmacies which are providing COVID vaccinations including: Walgreens, Sunshine Family Pharmacy, Island Pharmacy, Bear Drugs, and Beach Pharmacy.
Over the past four months, the DHHS has provided 15,876 initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and have fully vaccinated 15,712 individuals. In addition to preventing serious illness and death, getting your COVID-19 vaccine prevents you from being quarantined if you are exposed to a person who tests positive for COVID, as long as you remain symptom free. To date, there have been no reports in Dare County of serious illness or death of anyone who has been fully vaccinated. Now is a great time to get your vaccine so you can be fully vaccinated before the busy summer season is upon us.
Key Metrics
This past week there were 406 COVID-19 diagnostic tests reported in Dare County. This brings the total number of tests performed since early March of last year to 38,382. There were 44 positive cases between April 26 and May 2. The percent of positive tests to overall tests in Dare County since we started testing in March 2020 increased slightly to 8.21%. The percent of positive tests to total tests for the past week increased to 10.8%. Syndromic surveillance of individuals presenting with COVID like symptoms to the emergency department and urgent care centers continues to show 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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