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On Friday, June 26, 2020, Dare County’s lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 77.

Of that total, 41 are residents and 36 are non-residents.

In its Update #13, Dare County’s Department of Health and Human Services announced that the county “is experiencing community-wide spread of the COVID-19 virus.”

The department states that the virus cases are throughout the county and “we have seen a growing number of individuals who have tested positive but do not know where they acquired the virus.”

Since Tuesday, the Dare County case total has grown from 60 to 77. Currently, 26 cases are considered active, according to the county’s COVID-19 Dashboard.

Dare’s update expresses concern over the rising number of positive cases among teens and young adults. “The greater concern in seeing the rise in cases in this age group,” states the bulletin, “is the likelihood of spreading it to others, including those who are at risk of developing severe complications from the virus.”

Of the 17 new cases, 12 are residents and five are non-residents.

Of the 12 resident cases, three are close acquaintances, two are mildly symptomatic and one is asymptomatic. All three acquired the virus through direct contact associated with an individual whose positive result was reported on June 22

None of the remaining nine resident cases are connected, according to DCDHHS: seven are symptomatic and acquired the virus through community spread; one is asymptomatic and acquired the virus by direct contact; one is asymptomatic and acquired the virus by community spread.

Of the five non-resident cases, none of the cases are connected to one another.

Two are asymptomatic and most likely acquired the virus through community spread outside of Dare County; one is symptomatic and acquired the virus through travel; one is symptomatic and acquired the virus through community spread; one is symptomatic and acquired the virus through direct contact with an individual whose positive test result was reported on June 18.

“Contract tracing has been completed and direct contacts of these 17 cases have been identified, notified, and directed to quarantine for 14 days from the last date of exposure with the positive case. Calls are made to check on compliance with the quarantine directive and legal action can be taken for individuals violating quarantine and isolation orders,” states the update.

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