By: Shari V
8/14/2021 5:59 PM
Honestly, we've been there twice since this starter - last May and just this past April. We socially distanced, wore masks in public, got take out and followed the same guidelines we were at home and were none the worse off for it. I say go, follow the precautions we've been following since last March and enjoy yourself. It has absolutely nothing to do with 'living in fear' and everything to do with common sense during a global pandemic.
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By: John Bull
8/14/2021 6:19 PM
Yes indeed. If you don't mind missing out on eating out or shopping, but do want to hang out on the beach- go swimming, go fishing, etc.- you'll be fine.
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By: jfalba
8/14/2021 6:23 PM
I guess it's a personal choice whether to go or not. This is the truth I have been exposed to covid 19 several times openly without a mask and have not caught it. Even when I wasn't vaccinated. Now the bad news all my patients were vaccinated either fully or had the first shot...Pfizer. And caught it...the majority are mild cases. 2 May not make it out of 12 positive. I work the red zone in full gear. Fyi visitors brought it in. If you are going with family and not running around everywhere too much you should be okay. I will say I have nurse coworkers that swear if you keep building your immunity by eating right taking supplements at home you will not catch it. Outstanding health issues before covid 19 is what you basically see on the news.
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By: Laszlo
8/14/2021 6:34 PM
No worries, we were down there last September not vaccinated and will now be down there in three week vaccinated
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By: biketraveller22
8/15/2021 6:07 AM
We were there for two weeks late May. Enjoyed the house, beach, kayaking on Kitty Hawk Bay, bicycling to Duck park from Southern Shores, fishing under the 64 bridge in Manteo, a day trip to Frisco beach and more.
We got groceries via curbside pickup at Food Lion, beer / wine at the Brew Through, and wore KN95 masks at necessary indoor areas (bathrooms, fresh seafood pickup @ O’Neil’s, pop-in for takeout, etc). The Food Lion in Avon has curbside and I think Conner’s as well.
Did takeout from multiple places and had drinks on the Run Down deck once.
Overall, few wore masks and most businesses had zero distancing. But we did our thing and ignored anybody who stared at us for taking reasonable precautions.
Going again in September. I had hoped things would be better so we could do a few more things - FishHeads, more outdoor dining (most places had no distance between tables), etc. Sadly, it’s now much worse than late May.
But going as we know we can have great fun at our house, the beach, and distanced outdoor activities. With a little planning, I think you can have fun and be safe.
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By: wahoo78
8/15/2021 8:12 AM
We’re scheduled for our 12th annual trip to HI with family in two weeks. But we’re seeing Dare County is in the RED zone for covid infections; a rate that keeps rising. With three family members over 60 and five children under 12–an age group
with some of the fastest growing infections— we are a bit concerned to say the least.
I realize tossing this out to the masses isn’t the most analytical decision making method but our only other option is to cancel and there is no refund at this point.
We’re staying near Durant Station.
Thanks for any thoughts…
Maybe I missed it in the thread somewhere, but I didn't see it mentioned if you are vaccinated or not. If you are, then you should go.
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By: Jstangl
8/15/2021 10:09 AM
Be there on September 4 for two weeks - can’t wait, we’ll be careful and are vaccinated.
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By: Tim-OBX
8/15/2021 11:53 AM
Sunday 11 am I just passed the medical center in Kitty Hawk where they give covid tests. The parking lot was FULL. 
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By: Gettysburg Lady
8/15/2021 8:27 PM
Please, right now ,this is a disease of the 'unvaccinated'. That includes kids. While I think you should take your vacation if vaccinated - I would take precautions. As others have said - stay outside as much as possible - wear a mask inside and stick to dining at your rental. This is no joke and we all need to take some precautions. That said we can't hole up without any contact with anyone. Use common sense and you will be fine. Enjoy your vacation!
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By: Aliphatic
8/15/2021 8:42 PM
Please, right now ,this is a disease of the 'unvaccinated'. That includes kids. While I think you should take your vacation if vaccinated - I would take precautions. As others have said - stay outside as much as possible - wear a mask inside and stick to dining at your rental. This is no joke and we all need to take some precautions. That said we can't hole up without any contact with anyone. Use common sense and you will be fine. Enjoy your vacation!
This. If the adults aren’t fully vaccinated, maybe you should reconsider. If they are, just keep the kids out of indoor environments. No indoor dining, no frivolous shopping, and send one or two adults to do the grocery runs while wearing N95s and go at weird hours.
If you take things seriously, I think you’ll be fine.
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By: rja3280
8/16/2021 12:08 PM
Sunday 11 am I just passed the medical center in Kitty Hawk where they give covid tests. The parking lot was FULL.
Playing devil's advocate here. There was a piece in one of local papers last month that doctors were seeing an uptick in folks coming in for tests and concerned because they were experiencing symptoms of sinus infections and colds. Obviously there will be positive cases found in those being tested but a lot of those individuals are also just normal sick but not feeling great so are getting tested just to be sure.
Go...be smart...have fun.
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By: KDHBreeze
8/16/2021 3:52 PM
This. If the adults aren’t fully vaccinated, maybe you should reconsider. If they are, just keep the kids out of indoor environments. No indoor dining, no frivolous shopping, and send one or two adults to do the grocery runs while wearing N95s and go at weird hours.
If you take things seriously, I think you’ll be fine.
Anyone wanting to avoid entering grocery stores can get groceries delivered or curbside pick up for a small fee.
Can have an easy first night with take out BBQ from Currituck or High Cotton on your way in, with a pit stop in a grocery store parking lot to retrieve your groceries.
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By: Tim-OBX
8/16/2021 6:54 PM
I went by the Kitty Hawk medical center where they do tests at 8:30am and 11am and 2 pm and the parking lots were totally full. Must be a lot of testing.
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By: Aliphatic
8/16/2021 7:04 PM
I went by the Kitty Hawk medical center where they do tests at 8:30am and 11am and 2 pm and the parking lots were totally full. Must be a lot of testing.
I’m confused, isn’t that a good thing? Lots of folks trying to figure out if they have the delta strain or not?
Then they know whether or not to quarantine.
The general consensus is that if covid testing positivity rate is over 5% then you aren’t testing enough people to keep track of community transmission.
I mean, unless you don’t want the data, and would prefer to let delta rip through your population.
I don’t get it.
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By: Bill
8/16/2021 8:08 PM
If you don't test the numbers will not go up.
So to keep the number down don't test.
What's so hard about this?
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By: Aliphatic
8/16/2021 8:21 PM
If you don't test the numbers will not go up.So to keep the number down don't test.
What's so hard about this?
There are zero pediatric beds left in all of north Texas.
But you’re right, what do I care? It’s only a 2% pediatric ICU rate with the delta variant.
Heck, out of a school of 1000 students under 12 you’ll only have 14 children ending up in ICU.
I’m sure that’s fine. The grandparents around here are fine with their kids going to the ICU and possibly dying.
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By: CoolBreezeKDH
8/16/2021 8:45 PM
.
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By: Aliphatic
8/16/2021 9:00 PM
.
Does data make you uncomfortable?
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By: CoolBreezeKDH
8/16/2021 9:21 PM
.
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By: Aliphatic
8/16/2021 9:50 PM
.
Ooh that’s purdy!!
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By: SOLDontheOuterBanks
8/16/2021 10:26 PM
If you don't test the numbers will not go up.So to keep the number down don't test.
What's so hard about this?
There are zero pediatric beds left in all of north Texas.
But you’re right, what do I care? It’s only a 2% pediatric ICU rate with the delta variant.
Heck, out of a school of 1000 students under 12 you’ll only have 14 children ending up in ICU.
I’m sure that’s fine. The grandparents around here are fine with their kids going to the ICU and possibly dying.
I don't post on political topics (and I do sadly consider Covid a political topic these days), but I think you are being intellectually dishonest here.
From the source of the "no more beds" statistic:
"The judge added no ICU beds have been available for children for at least 24 hours. The Texas Department of State Health Services told CNN the shortage of pediatric ICU beds is related to a shortage in medical staff.
"Hospitals are licensed for a specific number of beds and most hospitals regularly staff fewer beds than they are licensed for. They can't use beds that aren't staffed. With the increase in COVID cases, hospitals are experiencing a shortage of people to staff the beds that they are licensed for," department spokesperson Lara Anton said in an email, adding that staffing agencies in the state are working on recruiting medical surge staff from across the US."
That is a completely different take than what you disingenuously imply.
They have plenty of beds available, but they don't have the staff required in order to place patients in those beds.
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By: KDHBreeze
8/17/2021 6:45 AM
I don't post on political topics (and I do sadly consider Covid a political topic these days), but I think you are being intellectually dishonest here.From the source of the "no more beds" statistic:
"The judge added no ICU beds have been available for children for at least 24 hours. The Texas Department of State Health Services told CNN the shortage of pediatric ICU beds is related to a shortage in medical staff.
"Hospitals are licensed for a specific number of beds and most hospitals regularly staff fewer beds than they are licensed for. They can't use beds that aren't staffed. With the increase in COVID cases, hospitals are experiencing a shortage of people to staff the beds that they are licensed for," department spokesperson Lara Anton said in an email, adding that staffing agencies in the state are working on recruiting medical surge staff from across the US."
That is a completely different take than what you disingenuously imply.
They have plenty of beds available, but they don't have the staff required in order to place patients in those beds.
If you mean beds in the literal sense as in the expensive and often uncomfortable sleeping structures, then yes, they're not out of beds.
In a medical context, "beds" are measured not as the literal unit of furniture, but that unit, the space for it in an appropriate area, and sufficient medical resources, protective equipment and personnel to "staff" the bed at minimal levels. When you don't have all of those things, you've hit your cap on beds, regardless of whether you're licensed for more or you have an overabundance of certain resources.
They can convert convention centers to care facilities too, if they have enough staff. They don't. And that's a huge problem in something like a pandemic where they have to compete for travel staff against states that offer less risk and much higher pay. If they can afford them, they then have issues of pay discrepancies complicating their personnel.
But the larger problem is that nothing was done across a wide swath of states and now they are scrambling. That's a medical approach to an ongoing pandemic that should never happen.
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By: jameswestfal
8/17/2021 7:46 AM
If you don't test the numbers will not go up.So to keep the number down don't test.
What's so hard about this?
There are zero pediatric beds left in all of north Texas.
But you’re right, what do I care? It’s only a 2% pediatric ICU rate with the delta variant.
Heck, out of a school of 1000 students under 12 you’ll only have 14 children ending up in ICU.
I’m sure that’s fine. The grandparents around here are fine with their kids going to the ICU and possibly dying.
Just to be clear, this is north Texas, you know the part of the country where they don't test the "NRPOs" that cross the border daily in large numbers. Let's not talk about that, let's shame Americans that take vacations and want to eat at a restaurant.
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By: Bill
8/17/2021 7:56 AM
I caught a fish yesterday!
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By: hatterasnc
8/17/2021 8:18 AM
I caught a fish yesterday!
pics or it didn't happen... 
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