Town of Duck issued the following announcement on Oct. 19.
Correction: The number of positive COVID-19 cases acquired by direct contact with someone who was positive for COVID-19 has been corrected to 75 cases.
The number of new COVID-19 cases and the percent of positive tests to total tests both decreased this past week. However, Dare County continues to experience widespread community transmission of the COVID-19 virus and remains in the red category on the CDC’s Level of Community Transmission map. Red indicates a high level of community transmission of the virus. We are hopeful with continued practice of mitigation measures, including getting vaccinated, masking, physical distancing and good hand hygiene, we will continue to see numbers decrease and the county move into a moderate to low level of community transmission.
While Dare County remains an area of widespread community transmission, all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, ages 5 and over should wear a mask when indoors in public settings. All individuals should consider wearing a mask when outside if gathering in large crowds. Individuals ages 12 and over should get vaccinated for COVID-19 to help prevent serious illness, hospitalizations and death.
The total number of new positive cases reported in Dare County for the past week was 86. Of the 86 new cases last week:
- 74 (86%) are symptomatic
- *75 (87%) acquired the virus by direct contact with someone who was positive for COVID-19.
- 69 (80%) were not vaccinated. Of the 17 vaccinated cases: 3 had J&J vaccine; 6 had Moderna, 8 had Pfizer).
The reported positive cases only include laboratory confirmed cases reported by medical providers, urgent care centers, the hospital, or the state, which includes tests performed at area pharmacies. Self-reported, over the counter, home tests are not counted in the reported count totals, however contact tracing is conducted for the positive self reported cases. If an individual tests positive more than once (i.e. retests and still positive) it is only counted as one case.
Breakthrough Cases
When an individual tests positive for COVID-19 two weeks or later from receiving the final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine that is considered a breakthrough case. Vaccine breakthrough cases are expected. COVID-19 vaccines are effective and are a critical tool to bring the pandemic under control. However, no vaccines are 100% effective at preventing illness in vaccinated people. There will be a small percentage of fully vaccinated people who still get sick, are hospitalized, or die from COVID-19. According to the CDC, there is evidence that vaccination may make illness less severe for those who are vaccinated and still get sick.
Since the week of April 12th when the first breakthrough case was reported, there have been 2,793 positive cases of COVID-19 reported in Dare County. 2,245 (80%) of those cases were not vaccinated or not fully vaccinated. Of the 548 breakthrough cases:
- 312 residents and 236 non-residents
- 211 were asymptomatic; 259 reported mild symptoms and 37 reported moderate symptoms
- 2 were hospitalized
- 0 deaths
- 111 had the J&J vaccine
- 222 had the Moderna vaccine
- 212 had the Pfizer vaccine
- 3 had Astrazeneca
COVID Vaccinations in Dare
All individuals 12 years of age and over are encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccination. COVID-19 vaccinations are readily available at numerous locations throughout the county including the health department and many area pharmacies like: Walgreens, CVS, Sunshine Family Pharmacy, Island Pharmacy, Bear Drugs, and Beach Pharmacy.
Individuals ages 12 and over should get vaccinated regardless of whether you already had COVID-19. That’s because experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possible that you could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 again. Studies have shown that vaccination provides a strong boost in protection in people who have recovered from COVID-19. If you were treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, you should wait 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Talk to your doctor if you are unsure what treatments you received or if you have more questions about getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Since late December 2020, a total of 26,158 (71%) of eligible Dare County residents have received an initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 24,902 (67%) are fully vaccinated.
Moderna and J&J Booster Dose information
At this time the booster doses are only available for those who received their initial two doses of the Pfizer COVID vaccine. More information regarding booster doses for those who received Moderna or J&J is expected to be available later in October. The ACIP meets on Wednesday, October 20, 2021 to make decisions about authorization of the Moderna and J&J boosters.
Pfizer Booster Dose Information
On September 24, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made their recommendation regarding Pfizer booster doses and authorized booster administration for certain populations. You can get a booster if it has been at least 6 months since your second Pfizer shot, and one of the following is true:
- You are 65 or older.
- You are 18 and older and:
- You live or work in a nursing home or other long-term care residential facility.
- You have a medical condition that puts you at high risk for severe illness; for example obesity, asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
- You work in a high-risk profession, meaning you come into contact with a lot of people, and you don’t know their vaccination status; for example, health care workers, first responders, teachers, food processing workers, retail and restaurant workers, and public transportation workers.
- You live or work in a place where many people live together; for example, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, migrant farm housing, dormitories or other group living settings in colleges or universities.
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
Communications and Information Sharing
Dare County DHHS has an established schedule of communication to share information regarding COVID-19. Every Tuesday, a written update which includes 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 and on our website and shared on the DHHS facebook page Monday- Friday. 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.
Original source can be found here.
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