Four more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Dare County—all of them between the ages of 25 and 49—according to today’s Dare County Dept. of Health and Human Services’ dashboard.
The case total locally is now 150, 82 residents and 68 nonresidents.
“The majority of cases continue to experience mild to moderate symptoms,” Dr. Sheila Davies, director of the DCDHHS, also reported today, but a “few cases have experienced severe illness.”
Two of the currently 40 active cases—one Dare County resident and one nonresident—are hospitalized in critical condition outside of the area, Dr. Davies said in her regular Tuesday update. These hospitalizations have been long-term.
Of the four new cases reported today, two are Dare County residents, and two are not. Three are men, and one is a woman, according to the dashboard.
All four are in home isolation in their respective resident counties.
Since Dr. Davies’s last update on Friday, 24 new COVID-19 cases have been diagnosed locally—11 residents and 13 nonresidents. She detailed the circumstances of the 24 cases as follows:
Of the 11 residents:
*Two are family members: One acquired the virus by community spread and infected the other. They are both symptomatic.
*Four are close contacts who acquired the virus by direct contact with cases whose results were previously reported on the dashboard. They are all symptomatic.
*Four are not connected and acquired the virus by community spread. They are all symptomatic.
*One is asymptomatic and acquired the virus by community spread.
Of the 13 nonresidents:
*Six are close contacts who acquired the virus by direct contact with the people who infected the first group of four residents above. Four of them are symptomatic, and two are not.
*One is asymptomatic and acquired the virus by direct contact with another person whose result was previously reported on the dashboard.
*Five are not connected and acquired the virus by community spread. All of them are symptomatic.
*One acquired the virus by direct contact with a family member and is asymptomatic.
What jumps out at us is that 50 percent of these 24 people are believed to have acquired the virus by community spread. One more acquired COVID-19 after coming in direct contact with a family member who had acquired it by community spread.
UPCOMING TESTING EVENTS
COVID-19 diagnostic testing appointments still remain for Thursday’s testing event at Fessenden Center in Buxton, which starts at 10 a.m. All of the antibody appointments have been filled.
Of the 344 antibody tests conducted at the first local antibody testing clinic, held June 30 in Kill Devil Hills, only eight were positive. Seven people tested positive for COVID-19 among the 379 diagnostic tests done at the same event.
Another COVID-19 antibody and diagnostic testing clinic will be held next Tuesday, July 14, at 1 p.m., at the Dare County Parks & Recreation facility, 602 Mustian St., in Kill Devil Hills.
Appointments are required of all registrants, and only permanent Dare County residents age 10 or older may register. To schedule an appointment for this Thursday’s or next Tuesday’s event, you may call (252) 475-5008, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Ann G. Sjoerdsma, 7/7/20
The Southern Shores Beacon 