NC has 10,000 new COVID cases for 2nd straight day, as daily deaths pass 100 again
North Carolina reported 10,028 new COVID-19 cases and 115 deaths Friday, marking the second straight day that cases and deaths have surpassed 10,000 and 100 respectively.
Over the last two days, there have been over 20,400 new cases and 250 deaths reported by the state Department of Health and Human Services.
Hospitalizations sat at 3,960 Friday, the same number as Thursday, but over the last month they have nearly doubled. On Dec. 1, there were 2,033 hospitalizations statewide.
“This is the most worried that I’ve been for our state,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, at a news conference Friday. “We continue to set new records.”
Cohen said the risk has grown so high that people could have COVID-19 “right now” and not know it. Federal warnings have come down saying people who associate with others who do not live in their households should assume they have a virus.
“Do not gather with people that don’t live with you,” Cohen said.
On Wednesday, Cooper extended the current modified stay-at-home order until Jan. 29. That order requires people to stay home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. with some exceptions.
Cohen released a secretarial order reinforcing Cooper’s order.
Cohen’s order provides guidelines such as only leaving home for essential activity, wearing a mask around non-household members, and assuming infection and getting tested after gathering with anyone outside the household.
Hospital strain
Available beds in intensive care units across the state decreased to 328, down 10 from Thursday. A week ago, available units were at 424.
Adult ICU patients increased to 833. It’s the sixth straight day that the state has seen an increase. There haven’t been fewer than 700 adult ICU patients since Dec. 23.
Available inpatient hospital beds decreased to 4,238, following a trend over the last few weeks. There were 6,281 beds available on Dec. 27.
Cohen said Friday that she expects intensive-care beds to come under further strain.
But hospitals have been putting off non-urgent surgeries and moving staff to ICUs, and they have also been converting space for intensive care. DHHS does not plan to open its overflow hospital in Hamlet, she said, though it is ready.
Of all test results reported by DHHS on Wednesday, 13.9% returned positive, a slight increase from Tuesday’s results and well above North Carolina’s goal of 5%.
Case and hospitalization data reported by DHHS are preliminary and subject to change.
Earlier this week, Cooper announced the National Guard will assist with the state’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, handling logistics, getting people registered and at time giving the medicine.
Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry said Friday that Guard units will head first to Forsyth and Albemarle counties.
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 11:29 AM with the headline "NC has 10,000 new COVID cases for 2nd straight day, as daily deaths pass 100 again."