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On Oct. 5, 2020, Hyde County Health Department reported a total COVID-19 case count of 145, 17 active cases, 123 recovered cases and five deaths.

The sharp rise in active cases is attributed to an outbreak in a local correctional facility. Proper measures are being taken by the correctional facility to mitigate the virus, stated the health department’s media release.

The North Carolina Prison System shows 16 currently active cases of COVID-19 in the offender population at Hyde Correctional Institute. Around 450 offenders are housed at the prison.

“Since the pandemic began, 11 staff members at Hyde Correctional have tested positive and 10 have met the CDC and DHHS guidelines to be considered presumed recovered and have returned to work. Currently, one staff member at the prison is off the job due to COVID-19. Around 160 staff work at the prison,” writes John Bull with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

When offenders test positive, the person is separated and placed in medical isolation for close observance and twice daily temperature checks. Each prison has medical protocols in place in the event an offender needs advanced medical care.

All housing units at the prison are kept in groups to prevent mixing of persons from one housing unit and another, a precautionary virus-mitigation strategy.

The outbreak status for Cross Creek Healthcare, a Hyde County nursing home, is nearing completion. The nursing home will soon reach 28 days of no COVID-19 cases.

In Dare County, the total COVID-19 positive case count is 568.

In Dare, among residents, 17 are active cases.

Of the total cases, 309 are residents and 259 are non-residents. Currently, one resident remains hospitalized due to COVID-19 complications.

Since the last Dare County Department of Health and Human Services update issued Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, eight new positive cases have been registered. Of these eight cases, six are residents and two are non-residents.

Contact tracing has been completed on all of the cases and direct contacts provided by these individuals have been identified, notified and directed to quarantine for 14 days from the last date of exposure with the positive case.

For Dare County, the percent of new positive cases to total cases for this past week increased to 5.15%, the highest percent positive rate since the week of July 20. The percent of positive tests to overall tests in Dare County since testing began in early March remained stable this week at 4.14%.

On Oct. 2, Albemarle Regional Health Services reported the following COVID-19 case information for several of the counties it serves:

Pasquotank County: 746 lab-confirmed cases of which 101 are active. Some 33 deaths have been recorded in the county.

Camden County: 121 lab confirmed cases of which 15 are active, an increase of three in both figures. Three deaths have been recorded in this county.

Currituck County: 194 lab-confirmed cases of which 13 are active. Three deaths have been recorded in this county. A fourth death was reported October 6.

Reported outbreaks in congregate living facilities according to NCDHHS include Currituck Health and Rehab (two staff members) and Currituck House Assisted Living (10 staff, 17 residents – three of those residents have died).

According to Martin-Tyrrell-Washington District Health, Tyrrell County has had a total of 188 cases, of which one is active case as of Oct. 6. One hundred fourteen have recovered and three have died.

At the state level, 221,258 cases are lab-confirmed, an increase of 1,504 cases. Some 1,013 North Carolinians are hospitalized with coronavirus and 3,670 deaths have been recorded.

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