COVID Confusion
UPDATE: Thursday's COVID numbers from Hyde County are on the rise, but the state dashboard ZIP code tracker still registers zero cases for Ocracoke. It is usually delayed by a day.
In other news, commissioner Tom Pahl replied to my text last night. (Will wonders never cease?) I asked if the Ocracoke Emergency Control Group had considered how many positive cases on the island would make them think about shutting down to visitors to quarantine the island like we did in the spring. His answer: "No. We have not discussed a threshold number."
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Do we or don't we have a case of COVID-19 on Ocracoke?
The rumor mill was busy over the weekend with the news that Ocracoke had its first confirmed positive test COVID-19 test result.
As of close of day Tuesday, the Hyde County Health Department's director of nursing, Melissa Sadler, reported that there are no confirmed cases on Ocracoke, and that the one that was briefly reported (on the state dashboard) was a visitor who tested positive on Ocracoke (at the Ocracoke Health Center), but should've been listed as a positive case in their place of residence, not the island. The dashboard has been changed to reflect the correction.
Sadler wouldn't confirm or deny the story that there was also a college student from Ocracoke who tested positive off the island. We won't publish the student's name here, but it is spoken with confidence by island residents.
Part of the confusion stems from the timing of the COVID cases reported by the county and then on the state's COVID dashboard. The Hyde County Health Department posts a running tally of COVID cases each day at 3pm (as of August 19: 64 total cases, 18 active, 46 recovered, and 0 deaths), and the state updates their tally the next morning by noon. The state breaks down the reported cases by ZIP code; Ocracoke's ZIP code is empty.
Until today, Hyde County had only offered those stats; on Wednesday they added age, race, and gender to the list of statistics.
What they didn't include was whether the positive test was from a resident or visitor. That's the burning question on the island.
By Wednesday evening, Ocracoke Coffee Company had announced on Facebook that they were taking the precaution of closing while their staff got tested for coronavirus.
The post read: "We knew it was just too good to last...we recently found out that s couple of our staff were exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID 19. They are quarantining and have already been tested. Although CDC and state guidelines do not require us to close, we feel that, in this case, 'better safe then sorry.' So, in light of this info...we will be close until they receive their test results. As soon as we get they get the results (hopefully negative!), we can reopen. Please send good, HEALTHY thoughts our way!"
In comments on the post, the coffee shop confirmed that all staff and customers are required to wear masks.
The possible exposure among the baristas comes from the alleged college student (an Ocracoke School graduate who contracted COVID-19 off the island and brought it back here on a weekend visit home) and not, as we've all feared, from a visitor. The Current reached out to the college student and hasn't heard back. We hope they will have a chance to tell their story and that the community treats them with compassion and caring. We don't need to COVID shame anyone. We are all at risk and it could be any of us who bring it home.
For a previous article, I talked to Hyde County Health Department director Luana Gibbs who said the county isn't required to give out more information than they do, and she hesitates to provide more because of the nature of small town gossip.
"I took that stance in the beginning that I didn't want to jeopardize the privacy of patients," Gibbs explained. "These are small communities on the mainland and on the island. There's a stigma to being tested positive and it's easy for people to guess who the cases are or think they know. I didn't think that was information I needed to share."
We can hope that we'll learn tomorrow, through the state or county health department, the official count of Ocracoke COVID cases.
Meanwhile, here are some more factoids I gathered from my conversation with Melissa Sadler:
First, it's highly likely that COVID has been to Ocracoke in both residents and visitors. That's just math. There was a long time in the spring when you could only get a test if you had to be hospitalized or you lived in an institution like a jail or nursing home. Anyone else with COVID-like symptoms was told to self-isolate for two weeks or until their fever and other symptoms were gone for at least three days. As the state's testing protocol changed, tests were offered to patients with COVID-like symptoms. Now, anyone can get a test -- just ask! Ocracoke Health Center has plenty of them and does tests every day.
Hyde County hosted a drive-through testing event on Ocracoke on August 12th with 58 island residents participating. All the results were negative.
The only positive test results from Ocracoke Health Center have been of visitors.
"Any out-of-town person with symptoms should leave immediately," Sadler said.
Contact tracing is an important part of preventing the spread of COVID. So the health department asks COVID positive people "to identify any individuals they've been within 6 feet of for longer than 10 minutes without a mask over the last two weeks."
Note that Sadler did not mention whether the contact was indoors or out. Even if you're outside, the danger zone is: less than 6 feet, more than 10 minutes, uncovered faces.
Why 6 feet? That's how far our snot and spit and lung vapors fly. Ew, COVID.
Why 10 minutes? That's enough time for enough damaging particles of coronavirus to get in your lungs. You don't need a lot of it to get sick, but the bigger the "viral load" the more likely you are to contract the disease.
Why a mask? Please don't make me say it. We've all heard it. Just wear the *@#%$^$ mask!
Why two weeks? That's how long the virus can be asymptomatic and yet contagious.
Once a COVID+ person lists all their contacts, either individuals or businesses, Hyde County will contact all of them that are within Hyde County. (Each county's health department takes care of its own.)
Sadler confirmed that the health department has called Ocracoke businesses and individuals as part of their contact tracing efforts.
When they contact someone, the health department asks them to wait 6 days to get tested. That allows the virus time to develop to the point of being detectable. (Of course, if you have symptoms, don't wait that long!) Wait 6 days to get a test, but plan to quarantine for a full 14 days.
"A negative test on day 6 doesn't mean you're free and clear," Sadler said. The virus could still develop within the 2 weeks.
"We're testing people every day," Sadler added. "Once the positive case is sent back home and we've done contact tracing, we've done our due diligence."
