Dare County okays shorter COVID quarantines

By Outer Banks Voice on December 4, 2020

Dare County 

The Dare County Department of Health and Human Services (DCDHHS) reported 9 new cases of COVID-19 on Dec. 4. Six of the newest cases involve residents of Dare County while three involve non-residents. All of these cases are isolating in Dare County or in their home counties.

Also on Dec. 4, the county reported that 10 residents and one non-resident previously categorized as having active cases of COVID-19 are now listed as recovered.

In light of recently amended CDC guidelines that can shorten the length of COVID-related quarantine, the county health department issued a bulletin today indicating the conditions under which the current 14-day quarantine period in Dare County can be reduced. Here is the new guidance.

In the general community, quarantine can be ended if any of the following criteria are met:

• 14 days of quarantine have been completed
• 10 days of quarantine have been completed AND no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring
• 7 days of quarantine have been completed AND no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring AND a diagnostic specimen tests negative within 48 hours of the planned quarantine discontinuation (no earlier than day 5 after last contact).

If quarantine is discontinued before day 14, the individual must continue to monitor symptoms and strictly adhere to all non-pharmaceutical interventions (e.g. wear a mask, practice social distancing) through 14 days after the date of last exposure.

The updated CDC quarantine guidance notes that variability of transmission observed to-date indicates that while a shorter quarantine substantially reduces secondary transmission risk, there may be settings (e.g., with high contact rates) where even a small risk of post-quarantine transmission could still result in substantial secondary clusters.

Based on this consideration, NCDHHS recommends that a full 14-day quarantine should be strongly considered in congregate living facilities that are at higher risk for secondary clusters or where residents may be at higher risk for severe illness. This includes nursing homes, residential care facilities, and jails.

North Carolina

Only about two weeks ago, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported daily cases of COVID-19 surpassing the 4,000 mark for the first time. Now, it is beginning to look like 5,000 daily cases is becoming the new normal.

For the second time in two days, the state reported more than 5,000 cases (5,303) in North Carolina on Dec. 4. The number of hospitalizations is now at a record high 2,157, and the percent of positive tests is up over 11%, at 11.2%.

Statewide NC coronavirus numbers on Dec. 4

Link to COVID-19 North Carolina Dashboard

• Total reported NC cases – 382,534
• New cases reported today – 5,303
• Reported deaths – 5,467
• Currently hospitalized – 2,157
• Suspected COVID-19 cases hospitalized in past 24 hours – 325 (down 44 from yesterday)
• Confirmed COVID-19 case hospitalized in past 24 hours – 299 (up 35 from yesterday)
• Adults in ICU with COVID-19 – 505 (up 5 from yesterday)
• Patients presumed to be recovered – 315,979  
• Reported cases in Dare, Currituck and Hyde Counties – 1,704 (Dare 1,133, Currituck 382, Hyde 189)
• Completed tests – 5,461,220
• Daily percent positive tests – 11.2%

Note: Every morning, the NC Department of Health and Human Services posts updates the number of reported cases of coronavirus. That number reflects positive results from all tests, including the NC State Laboratory of Public Health and all hospital and commercial labs. There may be other reports, from the media and elsewhere, that will include different numbers during a given day, but this is an effective way of tracking numbers from the same source on a day-to-day basis.

SOURCE: NC DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES