Area COVID-19 case count update

Published 1:51 pm Wednesday, August 12, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to add cases in Dare County and North Carolina.

As of Tuesday, Aug. 11, the number of COVID-19 positive cases in Dare County is 384 cases.

Of that total, 25 are considered active cases, with two people hospitalized and 20 in home isolation.

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The total cases are spread between 210 residents and 174 non-residents.

Some 186 residents have recovered. Dare is reporting two fatalities due to the coronavirus.

The county’s Tuesday update states this past week saw the smallest increase in new cases since the week of June 15, marking the second consecutive week of reduced case numbers.

For the third week in a row, the percentage of positive tests to overall tests decreased. In the past week, the percentage was 2.8%, the lowest weekly percentage since June 22. The percentage from the start of testing in early March is 4.59%.

Across the state, lab-confirmed cases on Aug. 11 numbered 137,895. As of Tuesday afternoon, 1,122 people are hospitalized due to the coronavirus and 2,204 North Carolinians have died from COVID-19. The state is reporting that 2,017,498 tests have been completed.

Hospitalizations are flat. For the past seven days, the hospitalization figure has hovered between a low of 1,109 patients to a high of 1,154 patients.

On Friday, Aug. 7, 2020, Albemarle Regional Health Services provided updated data on lab-confirmed positive cases in its eight counties, including the following:

Pasquotank County: 388 lab-confirmed cases with 67 active, 300 recovered and 22 deaths.

Camden County: 68 lab-confirmed cases with 28 active, 38 recovered and two deaths.

Currituck County: 72 lab-confirmed cases with nine active and 63 recovered.

To this point, the ARHS region has continued to see mass gathering activities occur across the region, states the update. ARHS is encouraging residents to refrain from attending large gatherings that include auctions, tractor pulls, car and motocross races, family reunions, etc. “COVID-19 case activity across the region is continuing to increase and activities that are engaging more than 25 people have the potential to fuel our case numbers. It is important for the community to continue to practice social distancing measures and other preventive measures outlined in the Governor’s Safer at Home Executive Order,” states R. Battle Betts Jr., Health Director for the regional health services. “The spread of COVID-19 can be reduced when masks are used along with other preventive measures, including social distancing, frequent handwashing, and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces.”

Hyde County is experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases. As of 3 p.m. on Aug. 11, the county’s Health Department reported 46 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 9 are active. “Though some of these cases are associated with an outbreak in a long term care facility, not all cases are linked to this. Community spread is prevalent,” states the update.

On Aug. 1, the county reported 36 cases, an increase of 10 cases over 10 days.

The long-term care facility, as identified on the state’s COVID-19 website, is Cross Creek Healthcare. According to the state’s report released Tuesday afternoon, three staff members and one resident are reported to have tested positive for COVID-19.

“Please do your part to protect your neighbors, friends, and family. Wear a facial covering, practice 6 feet social distancing, and continue to wash your hands frequently. This is not related to a political agenda. This is related to protecting the public’s health. There is no shame in wearing a mask, and it does not mean you are affiliated with a certain political party. It simply means you are stepping up and doing what you can to prevent more folks from getting the virus so we can get through this troubling time. No one is enjoying COVID-19 in 2020,” states the Hyde County update.

In Tyrrell County on Aug. 11, the Martin-Tyrrell-Washington District Health reported 99 lab-confirmed positive cases with 90 recovered. One death due to COVID-19 has been recorded in the county. As of Aug. 3, Tyrrell tallied a total of 92 positive cases. At that time, 88 people had recovered.

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