The following is from Hyde Health Department, 4 p.m. Aug. 19, 2020.
To help the public understand of COVID-19 case counts and Hyde County Health Department processes, and to remain transparent to the residents of Hyde County, the following information explains how numbers are tallied and what they mean.
Total cases as reported by Hyde County Health Department are numbers of laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19 that after investigation by the Health Department are determined to be residents of Hyde County.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services occasionally receives notification of positive cases with incorrect addresses. Once an investigation by the Health Department staff is completed, those numbers may change to account for the updated, correct information.
Recovered cases are those individuals who:
–Have met the criteria for release from their isolation (from at least 10 days from the start of their symptoms have an improvement in their symptoms and have been at least 24 hours without fever and without the use of fever-reducing medication).
–Are considered part of an outbreak may not be included in the recovered numbers until the outbreak is considered over.
Here are the updated COVID-19 case counts for Hyde County as of Aug. 19:
Total Cases: 64
Active Positive Cases: 18
Recoveries: 46
Deaths: 0
All of the cases described above are on the mainland. Ocracoke has had cases reported, some of which were out-of-state individuals, and others who were determined to be residents of other counties. NCDHHS updates the state website of case counts by zip codes. You can access that website at https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard/cases
REMINDER OF Protocol for Ocracoke potential and laboratory confirmed cases – visitors/vacationers
- Visitors who are sick should leave and return home. They may be tested at the Health Center, but are told to self isolate at their residence, not in a vacation rental.
- Health Department begins immediate contact tracing of a positive case, notifying any close contacts of a potential exposure to Covid and providing instructions.
- A laboratory confirmed case is advised to leave the island immediately, may be driven back home if clinically stable, following proper isolation orders while en route.
- If too sick to travel, but not sick enough for hospitalization, is vacated from the island and set up in non-congregate shelter (Health Department handles this).
- The local health department of the county the vacationer resides takes over the case.
- Health Department notifies any lodging accommodations where a case has stayed, giving instructions on cleaning.
Hyde County Health Department remains available to the public to answer questions and provide education. We can be reached at 252-926-4399 Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. www.hydehealth.com
Get your information from reliable sources, such as:
–CDC: www.cdc.gov/Coronavirus
–NC Department of Health and Human Services: www.ncdhhs.gov, 1-866-462-3821 (NC Coronavirus Hotline)
–Hyde County Health Department: www.hydehealth.com, 252-926-4399
