Despite what you may have seen online, Clay County has not had a recent spike in COVID-19 cases, according to the Clay County Health Department.
Clay County Health Director Clarissa Rogers said there are four active positive cases of the virus in the county as of Tuesday. Clay County had been listed as a COVID-19 hot spot by health agency and media websites over the past week, with upwards of 50 active cases listed.
The data led to a number of inquiries from Clay County residents.
"Backlogged cases, positive cases that have not yet flowed through to the disease surveillance system, are coming in and populating in what looks to be like a new case," Rogers said in an email.
"In all actuality these cases are not a 'new case' they should be considered a 'lab event.' The positive count for their case has already been reported to the state via the mandatory reporting laws, but the backlogged data is taking some time for flow over."
Rogers said her department has been in contact with the state and facilities with backlogged data and all parties are working to resolve the issue.
While the health department no longer provides a weekly public update of active coronavirus cases, Rogers said the department would make citizens aware if there is a significant increase in positive case numbers or if there are any outbreaks/cluster cases within the county. Concerned residents may also contact the local health department at any time.
"We are more than willing to give you that information," Rogers said.
Public health officials are, however, warning of a potential spike across the nation by late summer or early fall as the Delta variant threatens to become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States within a matter of weeks. The Delta variant emerged in India in late 2020 and currently accounts for about one in five cases in the United States. It is believed to be about 60 percent more transmissible than previous versions of COVID and potentially deadlier.
President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Raleigh on Thursday, June 24 as he continues his push to have 70 percent of American adults get at least one dose of vaccine by July 4. Sixty-five percent of adults nationwide have received at least one dose thus far, but that number is not expected to reach 70 percent by the holiday.
North Carolina lags even farther behind the goal. As of June 18, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported that only 55 percent of adults in the state have received a dose of the vaccine.
In Clay County, just 40.1 percent of adults had received at least one dose of vaccine as of Tuesday, according to the CDC website.
North Carolina has tried various measures to encourage vaccination, including a lottery incentive. The first of four drawings for the state's $1 million and scholarship vaccine lottery was set to take place Wednesday. North Carolinians needed only one vaccination to qualify for the drawings.
In a recent study done by Public Health England, one dose of the Pfizer vaccine offered 94 percent protection against hospitalization from the Delta variant. The single-shot protection against less severe illness caused by Delta, however, was lower. One dose of Pfizer was only 33 percent effective in preventing symptomatic disease from the Delta variant, while two doses were 88 percent effective.
"The good news is that current available vaccines have shown effective rates in prevention against the Delta variant," Rogers said. "The Health Department is still vaccinating daily. If you have not yet been vaccinated and you wish to do so or if you have any questions concerning the vaccine, give us a call."
Clay County Health Department can be reached at (828) 389-8052.