One Triangle county sees rise in COVID clusters, as region continues to improve

Wake, Durham and Orange counties crested their fourth straight week of fewer new COVID-19 cases and a lower percentage of tests returning positive, with only one of the three counties experiencing a rise in viral clusters.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reports data Monday through Saturday, with no new data provided on Sundays. The most recent available data from the department shows the state experiencing its lowest number of hospitalizations from the virus since early November, as the state continues to see steady improvement after the holiday surge.

And this past week, a third COVID-19 vaccine joined the state’s growing tools for curbing the spread of the virus. The recently approved Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine arrived in the state last week, with 76,700 doses already here, and 357 administered as of Friday.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which both require two doses spaced a few weeks apart, have continued to be distributed across the state. In total, North Carolina has administered nearly 1.7 million first doses and more than 1 million second doses of the vaccines.

But despite tangible advancements around the state and the Triangle, the news isn’t all positive. In Wake County, where schools resumed in-person classes for all schools last month, child-care- and school-related COVID-19 clusters increased for the second week in a row.

Here’s how Wake, Durham, and Orange counties are doing as the first week of March comes to a close.

New cases, clusters in Wake

In Wake County, DHHS reported 1,338 new cases of COVID-19 in the past week, bringing the county’s running total to 75,588. That’s fewer than the 1,716 new cases the county saw the week before. The state has reported 550 deaths in Wake County since the pandemic began — an increase of 29 from the week before.

Deaths do not necessarily occur on the days that they are reported, and the state updates its death totals for prior dates as new information becomes available.

As of Wednesday, a 14-day average of 4.6% of tests were returning positive in Wake County. That’s down from 5.3% the week before, and lower than the state’s target of 5% — a figure that health officials have pointed to as needed to curb the spread of the virus.

Across the county, 169,211 first doses and 94,651 second doses of the vaccine have been administered. First doses saw an increase of 25,607, while second doses grew by 15,774. The state does not currently provide data on the distribution of single-dose vaccines at the county level.

The number of ongoing outbreaks in Wake County had dropped to 39 as of Saturday, down from 49 the week before. Of those, 13 outbreaks were occurring in nursing homes, 21 were in residential care and five were in correctional facilities. The state defines a COVID-19 outbreak in a congregate living facility as two or more residents or employees testing positive.

COVID-19 clusters in schools and child cares rose again in Wake this past week, up to 23 from 21 the week before. DHHS defines clusters in these settings as five confirmed cases of the virus that can be plausibly linked together over a two-week period. Of the reported clusters, 13 were occurring in child-care settings, while 10 were occurring in K-12 schools. That’s an increase of three in child care and decrease of one in schools from the week before.

Clusters in Wake County had risen by three the previous week.

On Tuesday, Wake County Superintendent Cathy Moore said the coming weeks will see an increase in the amount of in-person instruction that students in the county receive. Most students are currently on a rotation system of one week of in-person class and two weeks of virtual learning.

In a small step towards normalcy, Raleigh could see the return of festivals, parades, and carousels, as the city allows some special events to resume in April.

Raleigh is also home to a ZIP code with one of the the most COVID-19 cases in the state: 27610 in the southeastern part of the city. The ZIP code has seen more than 7,000 people contract the virus, The News & Observer reported Thursday.

New cases, vaccinations in Durham

In Durham County, DHHS reported 271 new cases in the past week — down from 368 cases added the week before. In total, the county has had 21,762 cases of the virus and 208 deaths. That’s five more deaths than had been reported the week before.

As of Wednesday, an average of 3.7% of tests were returning positive. That’s down from an average of 4.9% of tests the week before.

The county has had 57,466 first doses and 37,867 second doses administered in total, according to DHHS data. That’s an increase of 8,259 first doses and 4,711 second doses in the past week.

Outbreaks in Durham County were down to 11 as of Saturday, from 15 the week before. Of those, six outbreaks were occurring in nursing homes, two were in residential care facilities, one was in a correctional facility, and two others were listed as “other.” Those listed as other are emergency housing programs in Durham, where some residents and staff have contracted the virus.

Clusters remained constant over the course of the past week at two. Both of Durham’s clusters are currently occurring in child care settings.

Durham elementary schools are set to resume in-person learning later this month, while middle and high schools will resume in early April.

Also this week, Duke University announced it would hold an in-person ceremony for its graduates, but families will not be allowed to attend.

New cases, vaccinations in Orange

Orange County saw 125 new cases in the past week, down from 147 added cases the week before. Since the pandemic began last year, the county has seen 7,827 cases of the virus and 95 related deaths. The county’s death total increased by two in the past week.

As of Wednesday, a 14-day average of 0.7% of tests in the county were returning positive. That’s fewer than the average of 0.9% returning positive the week before.

DHHS reports 31,925 people in Orange County have received the first dose of the vaccine, along with 20,859 who have received the second dose. That’s an increase of 4,510 and 1,721 doses, respectively.

Outbreaks in Orange County fell to three as of Saturday, down from four the week before. One of the outbreaks was occurring in a nursing home, while the other two were in residential care facilities.

The county’s outbreaks remained constant at two, both of which occurred in child care settings.

On Thursday, board members decided that Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools will resume in-person instruction part-time on March 22.