North Carolina passes 2,000 coronavirus cases statewide after first case one month ago
Just one month after Wake County reported the first positive COVID-19 case in the state, North Carolina has now reached a new milestone.
It has surpassed 2,000 positive cases of COVID-19, according to data kept by The News & Observer. There are at least 2,023 cases.
North Carolina’s official count of coronavirus cases shot up by 274 as of Thursday morning, a 17% jump statewide as the pandemic has spread to nearly every county.
The state Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,857 confirmed COVID-19 cases Thursday, up from 1,583 on Wednesday.
Deaths rose to 18 across the state with 184 people hospitalized, 20 fewer patients than Wednesday.
Mandy Cohen, secretary for the NC Department of Health and Human Services, said Thursday there are coronavirus cases in 83 counties in North Carolina. Of those, 9% are in people ages 18-24, 42% in ages 25-49, 27% in ages 50-64, and 20% in people 65 and older.
More than 28,000 tests have been completed across the state.
The News & Observer is keeping a separate tally based on reports from the state and county health departments, which is typically higher because the state takes longer to confirm positive tests. That count stood at 2,028 Thursday evening.
Various institutions reported cases across the state.
Todd Ishee, commissioner of prisons for the state, said Thursday there are eight cases of COVID-19 in the prison system: four inmates and four employees. The inmates are in medical isolation, Ishee said.
An employee at Central Prison in Raleigh tested positive for the virus, said Diana Kees, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety. The worker got sick on March 20 and worked for a short period of time, Kees said, getting tested on March 27. The employee had been exposed to a family member who traveled to New York and has been off the job since the first day of sickness.
Also, Durham public schools reported that an employee has the virus after helping distribute food and supplies at Bethesda Elementary. That site produces roughly 500 meals a day, officials said, and other employees were sent home out of caution while changes are considered.
A worker and a resident at long-term nursing and rehab facility in Durham tested positive for the virus, The News & Observer reported Thursday. Officials said the worker for PruittHealth-Carolina Point is isolated at home in satisfactory condition, and the resident is hospitalized at Duke University Hospital.
North Carolina has four ongoing outbreaks at nursing homes and three in residential care facilities, according to the state.
Small counties, including Davie, saw their first fatal cases. Gaston County also reported the virus’ first appearance.
Davie County, which sits west of Winston-Salem and has a population of only 42,456 people, announced the virus killed a woman in her late 60s who contracted it through community spread.
“It is a sad day for our community,” said Suzanne Wright, county health and human services director. “This loss is one we all feel right now, and our hearts go out to the family. They will remain in our prayers. We realize this is a very difficult time for everyone, but now is the time to come together as a united front to control the spread of COVID-19.”
As of Thursday evening, Wake County had reported 247 cases; Durham, 154. Mecklenburg counted 68 new cases for a total of 533.
‘Desperate need’ for canned fruits, veggies
As the state remained hunkered down, need grew among low-income families.
In Raleigh, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle announced a “desperate need “ for canned fruits and vegetables to continue delivering emergency food boxes. Officials there estimated 6,000 cans per week are required to keep pace.
“Our regular supply chain is overwhelmed and lagging, challenging our ability to meet the demand now,” said interim CEO Bethann James. “Our vegetable order that was supposed to be here the middle of the week of April 6 is now delayed to the end of the week of April 13.”
Dropoff bins have been placed at: 1001 Blair Drive in Raleigh; 2300 Dover Farm Road in Raleigh; and 2436 S. Miami Boulevard in Durham.
Meanwhile, the Durham Public Schools Foundation announced plans Thursday to deliver meals, books and supplies to 1,500 families a week.
“We believe that no student should go hungry or fall behind because of COVID-19 school closures,” said Magan Gonzales-Smith, DPS Foundation executive director, in a press release. “With help from our partners and the Durham community, we can provide much-needed support to families facing food insecurity in this difficult and unprecedented time.”
Slowing the spread of coronavirus
DHHS Secretary Cohen has stressed the importance of sticking to Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home order, which took effect Monday afternoon.
Some counties, she said, have gone beyond Cooper’s limits on non-essential business and outdoor groups, including restrictions on hotels, motels and vacation travel. The state supports such measures but has not yet adopted them, Cohen said.
“We are all looking at efforts that are going to slow the spread of this virus. Slowing the spread of this virus is going to save lives,” Cohen said.
Meanwhile, housing advocates statewide are pushing Cooper to guarantee shelter during the COVID-19 outbreak, especially for the homeless.
“The homeless or those facing homelessness have limited access to perform the preventive measures being recommended by the CDC including handwashing, home isolation, avoiding high-touch surfaces, and rapid access to health care to prevent an outbreak,” said Deryle Daniels Jr., spokesman for the nonprofit Advance Carolina. “Unsheltered populations are also far more likely to have chronic underlying health conditions that can make COVID-19 more deadly not only for themselves but for others as well.”
1,000 unemployment claims per hour
During a daily online media briefing Thursday, state Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry said North Carolina had received a third shipment of medical supplies Wednesday night from the strategic national stockpile. With the three shipments, he said, North Carolina has received 48% of N95 masks requested; 119% of surgical and face masks; 23% of face shields; 18% of gowns; and 92% of gloves. He said the state has not received any hair covers, shoe covers or goggles. Orders have exceeded $100 million.
During the briefing, Lockhart Taylor, assistant secretary of the N.C. Department of Commerce, said since the crisis began, the state’s online benefit system has taken more than 355,000 claims for unemployment benefits. That averages to almost 1,000 claims an hour for the last 14 days.
While there have been glitches in the system, Taylor said that this week, the state has paid $8.2 million in COVID-19-related unemployment claims.
Essential businesses are popular destinations
Adherence to the governor’s stay-at-home directive that went into effect Monday evening remains uneven. The governor ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses and there are to be no gatherings in groups of more than 10 people.
Home-improvement stores and big-box stores, deemed essential under the rules, are popular destinations.
Hobby Lobby, the national crafting-supply chain that has stores in the Triangle and around the state, has been the subject of legal wrangling in some states over whether its wares meet the “essential” threshold. The New York Times reported Thursday that officials in at least four states had taken action to close down the stores.
In Raleigh, a Hobby Lobby store was operating on Tuesday, allowing 10 customers in at a time. On Thursday, the stores appeared to be closed, but a Hobby Lobby in Sanford remained open. A sign on the door said the store was “Operating as an Essential Business” and noted that it sells mask supplies, educational supplies, office supplies and components for at-home businesses.
Sanford, 45 miles southwest of Raleigh, is in Lee County, which had reported three cases so far as of Thursday.
Staff writers Jonathan Alexander, Jonas Pope IV and Brian Murphy contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 11:23 AM.