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New COVID alert system unveiled
By Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice on November 17, 2020
Dare, Currituck classified as “ orange ” counties
State officials today unveiled a county alert system to try and tackle the growing spread of COVID-19 in the state and have classified Dare as an “orange county” – meaning that there is substantial community spread of the virus here.
Currituck County is also referred to as Orange County while Hyde is Yellow County, which means it has significant spread of the virus. (Every county in the state is at least in yellow mode. Orange and red are the next steps.)
“The county’s new alert system shows viral hotspots in our state,” Governor Roy Cooper said.
It was another day of disappointing numbers statewide as the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 3,288 new cases on November 17. reaching 8.6% today.
During the Nov. 17 briefing showcasing the new coding system, Cooper said that “North Carolina metrics are increasing, but not skyrocketing. But there is a growing sense of urgency at the state level and Cooper today, more explicitly than he has in recent memory, raised the specter of a state retreat to re-impose restrictions that had been lifted if the numbers continue to worsen.
The new alert system categorizes a county according to three parameters: the number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days; the percentage of positive tests over a period of 14 days; and a cluster of hospital impact metrics that include the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19, COVID-related emergency room visits, and hospital capacity.
Data from Dare County shows this with a rate of 386.4 cases per 100,000 population, a 14-day positive rate of 8.3% and a moderate hospital impact. For Currituck County, the figures displayed for the new alert system are 180.1 cases per 100,000 population, a positive rate of 8.5% and a low hospital impact. In Hyde County, there are 81.0 cases per 100,000 population, a positive rate of 3.4% and a low hospital impact.
For the third day in a row, on November 17, the Dare County Department of Health and Human Services reported 10 new cases of COVID-19. And in an update released on Tuesday, the department also reported that the percentage of positive tests over the past week climbed to 9.44%, the county’s highest level since the start of the pandemic.
And even though Dare County reverts to all virtual learning on November 18, Dare County schools reported on November 17 that, since last Friday, there have been three new cases of COVID-19 – one at Manteo High and two at First Flight Elementary – which required over 75 direct contacts to begin quarantine.
For counties that belong to the orange or red group (which means critical community spread), the state advises people to:
- Limit the mix between households and limit the number of people in your social circle.
- Avoid places where people congregate.
- Consider making take out and eating out socially away from restaurants.
- Stay home as much as possible if you are a high risk person.
- Reduce public interactions to essential activities like going to work or school, taking care of family members, or buying food.
In remarks at the Nov. 17 briefing, Cooper, while acknowledging that fatigue from COVID has set in, pleaded with residents to continue to observe the precautions amid good news about vaccine progress.
“Let the virus win now, with vaccines coming so soon,” he said, “it’s like punting at the ten-meter line.
Current NC Coronavirus Figures Statewide
- Total number of reported CN cases – 317,495
- New cases reported today – 3,288
- Deaths reported – 4,852
- Currently hospitalized – 1501
- Suspected COVID-19 cases hospitalized in past 24 hours – 300 (up 45 from yesterday)
- Confirmed case of COVID-19 hospitalized in past 24 hours – 186 (33 more than yesterday)
- Adults in intensive care with COVID-19 – 370 (10 compared to yesterday)
- Patients presumed cured – 276,132
- Cases reported in Dare, Currituck and Hyde counties – 1379 (Dare 914, Currituck 285, Hyde 180)
- Tests completed – 4,682,064
- Percentage of daily positive tests – 8.6%
Note: Every morning, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services issues an update on the number of reported cases of coronavirus. This number reflects positive results from all tests, including the NC State Laboratory of Public Health and all hospital and commercial laboratories. There may be other reports, from the media and elsewhere, that will include different numbers in any given day, but this is an effective way to track numbers from the same source day to day.
SOURCE: NC DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Link to the Covid-19 North Carolina dashboard
Link to County Alert System Report
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