COVID-19 update: Dare sees fourth week of decreasing case numbers

Published 6:12 am Wednesday, August 19, 2020

: This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically. In this view, the protein particles E, S, and M, also located on the outer surface of the particle, have all been labeled as well. A novel coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China in 2019. The illness caused by this virus has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

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As of Tuesday, Aug. 18, the total COVID-19 positive case count in Dare County is 402.

Active cases in residents total 14, with eleven of those active in Dare County; one is in isolation outside Dare and two are hospitalized.

Of the 402 total cases, 216 are residents and 186 are non-residents.

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For the fourth week in a row, Dare County has seen a decrease in the number of new positive cases in Dare County.

For the week of July 20, 55 new cases were counted. For the week of July 27, 42 new cases emerged. And for the week of August 3, 21 new cases were counted. This past week, 18 new positive cases were reported.

“We are very pleased with these numbers and strongly encourage everyone in our community to continue to exercise good personal responsibility,” states the update from Dare County Department of Health and Human Services. “We want to see this trend of lower case numbers continue and in order for this to happen we all must continue to use the proven tools we have available. Please remain vigilant and follow the 3Ws to help protect you, your family, and our community from COVID-19.”

Each week, the Dare Department of Health and Human Services reviews the four key metrics associated with disease investigation and surveillance. The metrics are number of tests, confirmed cases, positive tests as a percent of total tests, and COVID-like illness surveillance.

This past week, 1,101 COVID-19 diagnostic tests were performed in Dare County. Of that total, 1093 were performed by local healthcare providers and 108 were performed at the community testing event held on August 11.

These figures bring the total number of tests performed in Dare since early March to 9,341. Between Aug. 10 and August 16, 18 positive cases were recorded. The percent of positive tests to overall tests in Dare County since testing started in early March decreased again this week for the fourth week in a row to 4.24%. The percent positive to total tests for the past week alone was 1.63%.

Syndromic surveillance of the emergency department showed a drop in the number of individuals presenting with COVID-19 related symptoms. However, local urgent care centers continued to see a high number of patients presenting with COVID-like symptoms over the past week.

In Dare County, call the Dare County COVID-19 call center, open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 252-475-5008, for specific needs and questions.

In Hyde County, 62 positive cases were reported at 3 p.m., Aug. 18. Of those cases, 21 are active, with 41 recoveries. Of the total, three staff members and two residents at Cross Creek Healthcare, a long-term care facility, are included.

As of 11 a.m., Friday, Aug. 14, Albemarle Regional Health Services provided updated data of lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 cases:

Camden County: 76 lab-confirmed cases with 27 active, 47 recovered and two deaths.

Currituck County: 78 lab-confirmed cases with 10 active and 68 recovered.

Pasquotank County: 436 lab-confirmed cases with 72 active, 342 recovered and 22 deaths.

In Tyrrell County, the Martin-Tyrrell-Washington District Health Department reported 104 lab-confirmed positive cases as of Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. Of the total, 97 cases have recovered. Two deaths associated with COVID-19 have occurred in Tyrrell County.

As of Tuesday, Aug. 18, in North Carolina, 146,779 lab-confirmed cases have been counted. Currently, 1026 people are hospitalized with COVID-19. Across North Carolina, 2,394 people have died from COVID-19.

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