COVID cases slow again

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The number of positive active cases of COVID-19 has seen a decrease again recently following the recovery of numerous cases in Cherokee that were linked to outbreaks at family gatherings.

Swain County Health Department reported on Monday there were 14 active cases among the 314 total positive test results since the testing began in March. There were also two additional deaths since last months, with a total now of 5 deaths in the county linked to the virus.

There have been no new clusters reported in the past few weeks and no new cases reported recently in Swain County Schools.

In total, as of Monday, there have been 5,838 tests conducted in the county and there were 30 pending results.

Across the county, Cherokee has experienced the bulk of the positive cases with 205 total in zip code 28719 since March, followed by 89 in Bryson City (28713), 17 in Whittier (28789).

Broken down by age, most cases in the county are among people aged 25-49 (124 cases), followed by those aged 50-64 (66 cases) and newborns to 17-year-olds (46 cases).

Masks remain mandatory statewide, and people are strongly encouraged to continue practicing safety measures to prevent spread. Gov. Roy Cooper extended Phase 3 in an executive order issued Oct. 21 for an additional three weeks. He also extended a program to prevent evictions due to job loss from the virus.

To learn more, visit, ncd
hhs.gov.

North Carolina residents can also download the SlowCOVIDNC app on their devices, which will notify you if you are in close contact with someone who has tested positive. To learn more, visit covid19.ncd
hhs.gov/slowcovidnc.