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'Very disconcerting' Coronavirus case count hits new high in Guilford County

Health experts said bringing Guilford County's coronavirus cases down may mean skipping a night out or maybe even staying home on Halloween.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — It's a record no one wants to set.

Guilford County saw the daily rate of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations reach a new high Tuesday.

It comes as coronavirus cases are rising across the state and the nation.

A Cone Health infectious disease specialist said even though we're seeing those unprecedented case numbers, she worries many people may be getting too comfortable with our new normal.

"We are hitting case (numbers) that we haven't seen since the summer and yet people are not as worried," Dr. Cynthia Snider said. She is Cone Health's Medical Director of Infection Prevention.

She said it's part of what experts call "COVID fatigue". More businesses are open which means more people are getting out and hanging out in larger groups than they did a few months ago.

Wednesday, 71 are hospitalized for coronavirus at Cone Health. Snider worries those high case numbers could mean more hospitalizations as the holidays approach.

"Folks are just going back to visit their loved ones who may be older and have other illnesses, who may get very sick," Snider said.

Snider said capacity at Cone Health remains stable but if hospitalizations keep going up, hospitals may cut back elecvtive surgeries and restrict visitation.

That is, of course, a big 'if' but she said it depends on what the community does over the next few weeks. 

Slowing the spread of the virus may mean having a socially distant Halloween and Thanksgiving.

"Even in a group of 20, you have like a 20 percent chance of coming in contact with someone who has COVID," Snider said, "and if you increase that number to 30, let's say you to to a Halloween party with 30 people, you have a one in three chance of running into somebody that has COVID."

We all know about the Three W's but experts said those are more important than ever as cases rise.

Novant Health physician Ashley Perrott said research shows cases level off in places with a high percentage of mask wearing. 

Mask guidance has changed over the course of the pandemic so you want to make sure your mask meets certain criteria.

"Ideally it's 100 percent cotton if it's a cloth mask and it's a tight weave and not a stretchy material. It should have two layers," Perrott said.

Perrott said neck gaiters can be effective, though not as much as cloth masks. In general, she said a mask is always better than no mask.

Snider said the high cases are concerning as we head into the holidays. 

It wouldn't be ideal to skip family get togethers to avoid spreading the virus but she said the choice could make a big difference.

"I don't want people to lose hope. I think it can be done, that it just takes a little more determination," Snider said.

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