1000 x 90

Positive COVID-19 Tests Surpass 60 in Watauga County; 37 Total Active Cases Within the District Reported by AppHealthCare

By Nathan Ham

Both Watauga and Ashe counties have seen a recent bump in positive tests for COVID-19. Ashe County had nine positive tests reported since last week and Watauga County has now reached 65 total positive tests with 27 active cases in the county, according to the most recent data provided by AppHealthCare.

Ashe County now has a total of 51 positive tests with nine active cases and Alleghany County has 31 positive tests with one active case.

Watauga County also has 76 people being actively monitored while Ashe County has 25 people being monitored for COVID-19.

Hospitalizations have been on the rise across the state. Currently, there are six residents in the three-county district that are in the hospital due to COVID-19 complications.

This data is compiled from the AppHealthCare COVID-19 dashboard. The High Country Press has not received a press release highlighting positive cases since June 2.

“We are typically not going to issue a press release for newly identified confirmed cases. We have transferred that type of reporting to our website data dashboard. However, if there is a need to release information specific to cases to protect public health, we’ll do that. We update our data dashboard daily in the afternoons,” said Melissa Bracey, AppHealthCare’s Director of Communications and Compliance.

One local business had to close after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. According to a Facebook post on Sunday morning, The TApp Room announced confirmation of a positive COVID-19 test from a staff member. The statement said that all of the staff will be tested for the virus and then they will “reassess” when to reopen.

“All of our actions up to this point, and moving forward, place the safety of Boone as the highest priority for our bar. We will be working in partnership with the Watauga Health Department on our action plan for reopening. We believe the best course of action involves transparency, honesty, and precaution. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. We are here to help in any way we can. We love y’all, stay safe please,” the statement concluded.