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AppHealthCare COVID-19 Update: Nearly Half of Watauga County Residents are Fully Vaccinated

 COVID-19 vaccine appointments are open for those who want a vaccine within the age requirements. The Pfizer vaccine is approved for people ages 12 and older and all other vaccines are approved for 18 and older. 

The vaccine is free for everyone, regardless of your immigration status. You do not need to show proof of insurance, social security number or an ID if you do not have it. 

The number of COVID hospitalizations remained low, in single digits, this week. We continue to monitor this closely to ensure capacity for those who may need hospital care for things like a heart attack, stroke, accidents, etc. 

NC DHHS County Alert System Notes Moderate Impact for Watauga County 

In the latest update, Watauga County is LIGHT YELLOW which notes moderate impact. This system outlines actions we can take to lessen the impact and spread in our community. You can read more about the County Alert System on NC DHHS’s website. 

We continue case investigation and contact tracing efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19. If you receive a call from a member of our case investigation or contact tracing team, we urge you to cooperate and provide information that will help us conduct response efforts. You may receive a call from (844) 628-7223 or (828) 264-4995. It may also show up as “NC Outreach” or “Contact Tracing.” Your cell phone carrier may flag the call as spam. It is so important to answer the call of a contact tracer. It is a key tool in slowing the spread of this virus. 

If you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 (regardless of whether you have symptoms or not), we recommend you be tested. You can check your symptoms and determine if testing is needed. To find a testing site near you, visit NC DHHS’s Find My Testing Place. 

Turnaround Times for Testing remains between 2 and 4 days. NC DHHS provides data on testing turnaround times. This data is updated daily and can be found here. 

Free COVID-19 Testing at AppHealthCare by Appointment. We offer testing on Monday and Thursday each week unless otherwise noted. Please do not just show up for testing. We request that you schedule an appointment through our website or by calling our COVID-19 Call Center at (828) 795-1970. 

Testing is also offered by appointment at Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, High Country Community Health Watauga Medical, CVS Pharmacy, Boone Drug and other local healthcare providers.

App State ended the 2020-21 academic year having conducted 57,370 COVID-19 tests on campus, having administered 4,340 COVID-19 vaccines to faculty, staff, students and the general public, and having only two active COVID-19 cases — the lowest since June 2020. The overall positivity rate for 2021 was 1.8%. App State is preparing for the full return of students, faculty and staff to campus for the fall 2021 semester, and continues to strongly encourage COVID-19 vaccination. App State’s dedicated COVID-19 website continues to provide guidance, vaccine information, and regular updates for the App State community. 

Demographic Data from NC DHHS as of June 7

Data for Watauga County 

An important note about data context: The graphs below show the available data. Please carefully read the descriptions below the graph to understand the data limitations. The most current data is available on the AppHealthCare dashboard, as the data below is past data trended. 

Important Disclaimer About Data 

It is imperative that this report and the data contained within is understood in the appropriate context. Please, if you use this report, please be certain that the information included within is shared within the appropriate context. Doing otherwise may be damaging to the public health response efforts. There are multiple factors involved in addressing this virus, including compliance with public health control measures implemented by the local health director and referenced in NC GS 130A. These measures are imperative for limiting the spread of COVID-19. AppHealthCare strongly advises that when data is shared for the purposes of educating the public or informing policy decisions, it should come directly from NC DHHS or AppHealthCare as it is presented with appropriate context from those directly involved in public health response.