Dare County Health and Human Services was notified Monday of four new positive coronavirus cases for a total of seven since Saturday.
The latest four COVID-19 patients are all non-residents. One, a woman between the ages of 50 and 64, has transferred to her home county. The other three are all young men between the ages of 18 and 24. They, too, have transferred to their home counties, health officials said.
The latest tests bring the total number of cases in Dare County to 39 since testing began in March. Since visitors were allowed back to the Outer Banks on May 16, there have been 17 new positive cases. Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bob Woodard last week said the county had seen about 800,000 visitors in that time.
Dare health officials say some patients acquired the virus through direct contact with asymptomatic patients. They also noted the virus spread quickly among family members and members within the same household. There’s also been an increase in the number of direct contacts associated with the recent positive cases.
Health officials continue to urge everyone to wear a mask in public, wash hands as often as possible and wait six feet apart when out in public.
