By Nathan Ham
For the first time in the last two weeks, the active COVID-19 cases in Watauga County have dropped over a seven-day period.
On October 9, AppHealthCare was reporting 377 active cases in Watauga County. That has dropped significantly down to 167 active cases, a 44 percent drop in seven days compared to the data released today.
The total number of positive cases in Watauga County now sits at 1,628. Ashe County has 51 active cases going and an overall total of 407 cases. Alleghany County has just eight active cases and a total of 258 cases since testing began in March.
The number of people being actively monitored in Watauga County is still at a high number with 333 individuals, a slight drop from last Friday’s total of 375.
There were no additional deaths reported this week in Watauga County, leaving the countywide total at 15 deaths, however hospitalizations across the three-county district did increase from 51 to 57 and there were two additional deaths reported in Ashe County, bringing the total there to seven.
Active cases on Appalachian State’s campus also dropped from 169 students and seven employees last Friday to 99 students and four employees today. Since testing started on March 27, App State has had 947 students test positive for COVID-19 as well as 42 employees.