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In Dare County and the state, the number of positive COVID-19 tests are increasing. Since the last Dare County Department of Health and Human Services update issued the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020, 30 new positive cases have emerged. Of these 30 cases, 24 are residents and six are non-residents

On Friday, Oct. 23, the cumulative total of lab-confirmed cases stands at 667 cases.

Among the county residents, 39 are active cases, with 36 in home isolation and three hospitalized, which is up by two patients.

Of the 667 cumulative cases, 379 are county residents and 288 are non-residents, of which four are isolating in Dare County and 78 have been transferred to isolation in home counties.

“We have seen a rise in new positive cases in Dare County over the past 10 days. The increase in cases is predominantly linked to direct contact among family members and close contacts. However, we are starting to also see an increase in cases of unknown origin, which indicates community spread,” states the Dare County Public Health Division update dated Oct. 23. “COVID-19 remains a very contagious virus.”

On the congregant living front, in Dare County, Peak Resources continues to report two staff cases and three resident cases, but no new cases of coronavirus.

Hyde County

As of Oct. 23, Hyde County Health Department is reporting 176 total cumulative cases with only one active case. On Oct. 20, the active cases numbered 24. Hyde County Correctional Institution tested 473 people initially. Testing showed 44 positive cases, with 24 now active according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

Tyrrell County

On Oct. 22, the Martin-Tyrrell-Washington District Health reported Tyrrell with 130 lab-confirmed cases, an increase of four since Tuesday, Oct. 20. Three deaths have been recorded in Tyrrell County.

Camden, Currituck, Pasquotank counties

As of Oct. 22, 2020, Albemarle Regional Health Services has published the following case information:

Camden: 134 lab-confirmed cases, up by one case. Some 20 cases active, down by three, and 111 recovered. Three deaths have been reported.

Currituck: 221 lab-confirmed cases, an increase of five. Some 31 cases are active, a decrease of two. The county has experienced four deaths. Currituck Health and Rehab continues to report two staff cases of COVID-19 and remains on the outbreak list. At Currituck House, 27 total cases are reported, 10 staff and 17 residents and three of the county’s four deaths are attributed to the outbreak at the Currituck House.

Pasquotank: 835 lab-confirmed cases, a case increase of 12. Active cases number 104, a decrease of five. Some 696 have recovered and 35 people have died. Elizabeth City Health and Rehabilitation remains on the outbreak list.

On Oct. 20, North Carolina had a cumulative total of COVID-19 cases of 252,992, an increase of 2,400 cases from Monday, Oct. 19. Hospitalizations are 1,205 patients. Deaths now total 4,082 90 more North Carolinians died from the coronavirus since Tuesday. The daily positivity rate of positive tests to tests is 5.9%, which declined from 7.4%.

The CDC guidelines for the definition of close contact have been updated.

The CDC had previously defined a “close contact” as someone who spent at least 15 consecutive minutes within six feet of a confirmed coronavirus case. The updated guidance, which health departments rely on to conduct contact tracing, now defines a close contact as someone who was within six feet of an infected individual for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.

“We are doing everything we can to slow the spread of this virus. This simple fact is we can’t do it on our own. Ignoring the virus doesn’t make it go away – just the opposite,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, on Oct. 21. “As hard as this is, it will end. We will get through this. Let’s do it by looking out for one another. Whatever your reason, get behind the mask.”

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