By Dare County Health and Human Services
The number of new COVID-19 laboratory confirmed cases reported to Dare County DHHS and the percent of positive tests to total tests both increased significantly this past week. The health department also reported an additional resident death, for a total of 27 since the pandemic began.
The total number of new positive cases reported in Dare County for the past week was 799. The majority of new cases were acquired by direct contact with friends or family members who were positive or symptomatic. Of the 799 new cases last week:
- 639 (80%) reported being symptomatic
- 583 (73%) reported acquiring the virus by direct contact with someone who was positive for 257 COVID-19.
- 470 (59%) were not vaccinated. 83 (10%) of the reported positive cases were boosted.
Currently, there are 289 active COVID-19 cases among residents of Dare County. There are 14 residents hospitalized due to complications from COVID-19.
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.
Dare County remains in the red category on the CDC’s Level of Community Transmission map, which indicates a high level of community transmission of the virus. All 100 counties in NC are in the red category. 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 5 and over should get vaccinated for COVID-19 to help prevent serious illness, hospitalizations and death.
Drive-Thru Testing Available Monday-Friday 8:00 am – 2:30 pm
Dare County Department of Health & Human Services, The Outer Banks Hospital and Medical Group and Mako Medical are partnering to provide a Drive-Thru COVID-19 testing site available for anyone in need of COVID-19 testing. Drive-thru testing will be available Monday – Friday from 8:00 am – 2:30 pm at the Dare County Family Recreation Park located at 602 Mustian Street in Kill Devil Hills, NC. Patients will not be charged for the test. Insurance information will be collected for those with insurance.
For fastest service at the Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing site, pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Individuals may pre-register on-line at https://bit.ly/nc-kdh-18931. Results will be available through the Mako Medical on-line portal within 48 hours from the test date.
COVID Vaccinations in Dare
All individuals 5 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 5 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 27,447 (74%) of eligible Dare County residents have received an initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 26,181 (71%) are fully vaccinated.
Pfizer Booster Vaccine Clinic for 12 -17 Year Olds
Dare County Department of Health & Human Services is hosting a Pfizer Clinic this Friday, January 14, 2022 at the Dare County Baum Center in Kill Devil Hills. Appointments are required and available for first, second or booster doses. Please call 252.475.5008 or visit www.darenc.com/Register4Vaccine
COVID-19 Booster Dose Information
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recommended booster vaccine shots for all individuals ages 12 and older to help strengthen and extend protections against COVID-19.
If you received the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, you can get your booster dose five months after your second shot. If you received the J&J vaccine you can get your booster two months after your shot.
Dare County Department of Health & Human Services offers Moderna booster vaccines. Below you will find a breakdown of where Dare County residents can receive first, second and booster doses.
First, Second or Booster Dose of Moderna
You may call your area pharmacy or call our Clinical Services team at 252.475.5003 (select option #2, leave a message if you reach voicemail).
First Dose or Booster Dose of J&J
Call your area pharmacy.
First, Second or Booster Dose of Pfizer
Call your area pharmacy.
For more information or questions about COVID-19 vaccine and booster doses, please visit www.darenc.com.COVID/vaccine
Flu Vaccine and COVID-19
Individuals ages 6 months and older are encouraged to get vaccinated for influenza. You may contact our department, your pharmacy, or area healthcare provider to get your vaccine. Our department is currently offering flu vaccines at no cost to you. Please make an appointment by calling 252.475.5003, selecting option #2, and leaving a voicemail if your call is not answered. Vaccination is the best way to reduce the spread of influenza and can lower the risk of severe illness resulting in hospitalizations and deaths. Flu and COVID-19 vaccines can be administered at the same visit. While it is unknown what the vaccine effectiveness of this year’s influenza vaccine will be, the A(H3N2) component was recently updated and is genetically similar to A(H3N2) viruses currently circulating.
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. 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 5,228 positive cases of COVID-19 reported in Dare County. 3,783 (72%) of those cases were not vaccinated or not fully vaccinated. Of the 1,445 breakthrough cases:
- 884 residents and 561 non-residents
- 39 reported being asymptomatic; 463 reported mild symptoms and 62 reported moderate symptoms
- 5 were hospitalized
- 2 deaths
- 231 had the J&J vaccine
- 662 had the Moderna vaccine
- 545 had the Pfizer vaccine
- 7 had Astrazeneca
The whole numbers provided above are for informational purposes and not an indication of effectiveness of one vaccine compared to the others. Of note, the Moderna vaccine has been the predominant vaccine administered by Dare DHHS. The breakdown of the COVID 19 vaccines administered by Dare DHHS are: 5% J&J, 24% Pfizer and 71% Moderna.
Breakthrough cases are not currently differentiated between boosted and non-boosted, however data is showing a stronger immune response in individuals who have received their booster. If you are eligible for a booster please consider getting your booster as soon as possible.
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 1,829 COVID-19 diagnostic tests reported in Dare County. This brings the total number of tests reported since early March of last year to 66,655. There were 799 positive cases between January 3 and January 9. The percentage of positive tests to overall tests in Dare County since we started testing in March 2020 has been increasing over the past twenty weeks. This past week was 12.50%. The percentage of positive tests to total tests for the past week increased from the previous week to 43.68%. Syndromic surveillance of individuals presenting with COVID like symptoms to the emergency department and urgent care have increased. 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 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 this week will be 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.