Update on COVID-19 cases, vaccinations

Published 11:40 am Saturday, January 16, 2021

: 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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On Jan. 14, 2021, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced changes to its vaccine prioritization phases.

Under the new plan, all healthcare workers and individuals 65 years of age and older may now receive the vaccine.

As a result, Dare County and Albemarle Regional Health Services are now accepting vaccine appointment requests for these individuals.

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Those who are healthcare workers or at least 65 years of age may submit a request for a vaccination appointment at darenc.com/Register4Vaccine or by calling the COVID-19 call center at 252-475-5008.

Dare County Department of Health and Human Services receives a limited supply of vaccine on a weekly basis from the state. The department will schedule appointments for individuals from the appropriate phase as the vaccine supply allows. Based on the anticipated number of individuals in this phase, the health division thinks it could take 6-8 weeks before all individuals in these prioritization phases who wish to be vaccinated receive one.

For more information or details on the various phases and who falls under which phase, visit darenc.com/covidvaccine.

Dare County inoculated 510 people on Monday, Jan. 11 at the county’s Parks and Recreation facility in Kill Devil Hills. After the clinic on Monday, vaccine doses distributed by the county totaled 1,180.

On Wednesday, Jan. 14, the department received 400 doses from the state. The department had been completely out of vaccine. On Saturday, Jan. 16, Dare County public health nurses will give out all 400 doses at the Fessenden Center in Buxton.

Between Jan. 16 and Jan. 23, the county’s health department expects to have reached 2,770 vaccinations.

Dare County – As of Thursday, Jan. 14, the total number of cumulative COVID-19 positive cases in Dare County is 2,175, including 26 cases reported on Thursday. On Monday, Jan. 11, 11 cases were added; Tuesday, 21; Wednesday, 55. In four days, the caseload increased by 113.

Active positive cases number 215 persons.

On Wednesday, Jan. 13, Dare County reported another death, bringing the total of Dare County deaths due to coronavirus to seven.

Hyde County – The most recent figures from Jan. 15 show a cumulative total of 581 cases. Of those, 144 are active positive. Deaths from coronavirus in Hyde County are now seven persons.

Tyrrell County – On Jan. 14, Martin-Tyrrell-Washington Health District reported that Tyrrell County’s total cumulative case number is now 216. Some 181 people have recovered. On Jan. 14, 31 people had active positive cases. Four individuals have died in the county due to coronavirus.

Camden, Currituck, Pasquotank counties – Albemarle Regional Health Services has developed an online registration form for individuals to register for a COVID-19 vaccination appointment. The focus for vaccinations during the week of Jan. 19 through Jan. 22 is on individuals who are health care workers and those 65 years of age and older.

For those who have not registered, go to arhs-nc.org/information/COVID-19/vaccines or call 252-338-WELL (252-338-9355) or get in touch with local health departments. Once registered, individuals will be contacted to schedule an appointment.

On Jan. 15, 2021, Albemarle Regional Health Services published the following case information:

Camden: 400 lab-confirmed cases, with 113 cases now active. Camden County has lost five people to the coronavirus.

Currituck: 887 total lab-confirmed cases. Some 184 cases are active. Currituck County has lost 11 people to coronavirus.

Pasquotank: 2,310 lab-confirmed cases. Active cases number 405. COVID-related deaths in the county number 59 people.

The cumulative total cases for the eight-county region stands at 8,729 cases. The active number of cases in the region is 1,470. Across the region, 200 people have died of coronavirus.