Hannah Styles
hstyles@thesmokymountaintimes.com
It seemed that Covid cases had been declining in the county, but according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, a spike in cases occurred after Thanksgiving.
The rise may be due to the increase of people gathered for the holidays.
According to a poll by Monmouth University, two/thirds of Americans planned to celebrate Thanksgiving with about as many people as before the pandemic in 2021, compared to about a 50/50 split in 2020.
This year public health authorities encouraged people to get fully vaccinated, undergo testing beforehand, or have get togethers outside or wear a mask, unlike last year where they encouraged people not to get together at all, due to the severe increased possibility of spread.
According to NCDHHS Covid tracker for Swain County, reported Dec. 14, in the last 14 days there have been 105 new cases in the county, and 60.3% of the population 12 years and older have been fully vaccinated.
Amber Frost gave a Covid update at the Swain County Board of Education meeting on Monday, because she will be taking the new role of Health Director at Swain County Health Department on Jan. 1. Current Health Director Alison Cochran is the new Health and Human Services Director starting in the new year.
“Swain County has had 184 positives in the past 30 days and currently have 54 active cases,” Frost said. “As far as we know, there are 5 adults who are currently hospitalized and since the beginning of the pandemic, Swain has seen 31 deaths total.”
The CDC reports that transmission remains high in the county and based on provided graphs, the rise seemed to begin on November 28th, three days after Thanksgiving. The number of cases continued to grow before leveling out around December 3rd.
They report that there have been 86 new cases in just the last seven days.
We can only anticipate another rise after Christmas and New Years as family and friends gather together to enjoy beloved holiday traditions.
Frost said in a phone call, that this time of year they expect to see a higher number of cases of both Covid and the flu, and with people getting together more for holidays.
“We are not discouraging people to get together for the holidays, just use good judgement by not going around family if you are sick and following safety precautions,” Frost said.
The CDC offers tips to celebrate the holidays safer and slow the spread of Covid:
● Get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can.
● Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth to help protect yourself and others.
● Stay 6 feet apart from others who don’t live with you.
● Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces.
● Test to prevent spread to others.
● Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.