VIDEO: Dare County hits 3,000 cases of COVID-19, has fully vaccinated over 10,000

The total number of cases of COVID-19 in Dare County between residents and non-residents reached the 3,000 mark on Monday, while the county’s health department has fully vaccinated more than 10,000 people.

Dr. Sheila Davies, director of the Dare County Department of Health and Human Services, has more information in her weekly video briefing:

Dare County COVID-19 Case Update

This past week there were 44 new positive COVID-19 cases in Dare County. The virus continues to be predominantly spread by close contact between family members, co-workers and close friends. The percent of positive tests to total tests for this past week decreased from 9.07% to 7.49%. The total COVID-19 positive case count in Dare County is 3,000 of which there are 48 active cases among residents of Dare County.

Since our last report on 3/30, there have been 49 new COVID-19 cases. Of these 49 new cases:

  • 39 (80%) are symptomatic

  • 45 (92%) acquired the virus by direct contact with an individual or individuals who were positive for COVID-19.

We know we can control the spread of the virus by practicing the 3Ws so please wear a face covering, wait 6 ft apart from others and wash your hands. In addition to the 3Ws, the most effective tool in controlling the spread of this virus is to get your COVID vaccine.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Over the past 13 weeks, we have provided 14,538 initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and have fully vaccinated 10,246 individuals.  Over the next two weeks we will administer an additional 2,200 first doses and 2,427 second doses.

Any NC resident or property owner 16 and older who wishes to receive the vaccine can now be vaccinated in Dare County. To register please go to our website now at www.darenc.com/covidvaccine to complete the vaccination request form. Staff will then call you to schedule an appointment. Appointments are generally available the same week you register on-line.

If you have registered on our website for a vaccine and no longer need your appointment, please email us at covid19@darenc.com so we can remove you from our waitlist. Additionally, please only register one time through the website. If you are unsure if your registration was successfully submitted you may call us at 252-475-5008 or send us an email at covid19@darenc.com to check. This will help us be as efficient as possible when scheduling appointments.

Key Metrics

Each week we review the 4 key metrics associated with disease investigation and surveillance. The metrics are:

  • Number of Tests

  • Confirmed Cases

  • Positive Tests as a Percent of Total Tests

  • COVID Like Illness Surveillance

This past week there were 587 COVID-19 diagnostic tests reported in Dare County. This brings the total number of tests performed since early March of last year to 36,149.  There were 44 positive cases between March 29 and April 4.. The percent of positive tests to overall tests in Dare County since we started testing in March 2020 remained at 8.29%. The percent of positive tests to total tests for the past week alone decreased 7.49%. Syndromic surveillance of individuals presenting with COVID like symptoms to the emergency department and urgent care centers continues to show low levels of activity. These graphs can be found on the Dare County website at www.darenc.com/covid19.

Communications and Information Sharing

Dare County DHHS has an established schedule of communication to share information regarding COVID-19. Every Tuesday, a written update and a video update which includes an overview of the previous week’s COVID-19 key metrics is issued. Additional updates will be released as needed. All released videos and written updates can be found on our website, DHHS facebook page, Dare County Twitter page, and Dare Emergency Management Twitter page. If you would like to receive these updates directly to your email, please sign up to receive our enotifications.

New positive cases are updated on the dashboard on our website and shared on the DHHS facebook page when we receive them. To find the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 cases in Dare County visit www.darenc.com/covid19. State COVID-19 data is available at https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard.

Contact Us

We encourage you to stay informed by visiting www.darenc.com/covid19 or by visiting the CDC or NC DHHS websites. If you have specific needs or questions you may also call the Dare County COVID-19 call center open Monday-Friday from 8:30 to 5:00 at 252-475-5008.

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Sam Walker was news director for OBXToday.com, Beach 104, 99.1 The Sound, Big 94.5 WCMS and Z 92.3 from August 2011 to March 2022.