Dare County provides details on its 25 active COVID-19 cases in Friday’s update

Dare County released the following COVID-19 update for Friday, August 28, which details the county’s most recent active cases, testing efforts, and additional community information.

Dare County COVID-19 Case Update

The number of positive COVID-19 tests in Dare County is 445, of which there are 25 active cases among residents of Dare County. Of the 445 cases, 240 are residents and 205 are non-residents. One resident remains hospitalized outside of Dare County.

Since the last Dare County DHHS Update issued, Tuesday August 25, 2020, there have been 9 new positive cases. Of these 9 cases, 6 are residents and 3 are non-residents. The Dare County website has already been updated to reflect all of these cases.

Of the 6 new resident cases since Tuesday, August 24th:

• 4 of the cases are college students, None of these cases are connected. 3 are symptomatic and 1 is asymptomatic. All 4 acquired the virus by direct contact with individuals who tested positive outside of Dare County.

• 1 case is symptomatic and acquired the virus from a family member who tested positive outside of Dare County.

• 1 case is symptomatic. It is unclear how this individual acquired the virus.

Of the 3 new non-resident cases since Tuesday, August 24th:

• 2 of the cases are not connected. Both are symptomatic and acquired the virus by direct contact with individuals who tested positive outside of Dare County.

• 1 case is symptomatic. It is unclear how this individual acquired the virus.

Contract tracing has been completed on 8 of the new cases and direct contacts provided by these individuals have been identified, notified, and directed to quarantine for 14 days from the last date of exposure with the positive case. We are currently in the process of working with one individual to identify and notify their direct contacts.

Controlling the Spread

We cannot stress enough how important it is to use the proven tools available to help reduce the spread of COVID 19. Please help us keep the number of new cases low by following the 3Ws:

• Wear a cloth face covering if you will be with other people.

• Wait 6 feet apart. Avoid close contact.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer

Staying Well

Practicing general wellness during these difficult times can help improve an individual’s likelihood of preventing or recovering from illness due to COVID-19. You are what you eat. This is a phrase many individuals have heard before. Science tells us that certain foods can help us or hurt us. Eating a nutritious diet  helps your immune system fight off illness, including COVID-19. There are a variety of foods that can help boost your immune system. Healthline has  a list of 15 foods that can help boost your immune system, these foods include: citrus fruits, red bell peppers, broccoli, garlic, ginger, spinach, yogurt, almonds, sunflower seeds, turmeric, green tea, papaya, kiwi, poultry and shellfish. For more information on COVID-19 nutrition, please visit the CDC Website. 

Communications and Information Sharing

Dare County DHHS has an established schedule of communication to share information regarding COVID-19. On Tuesdays, we release a written update and a video update which includes an overview of the previous week’s COVID-19 key metrics is issued. On Fridays a written update is issued. 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.