COVID-19 testing exceeds 500,000 as North Carolina cases continue to rise
The reported numbers of North Carolina COVID-19 tests surpassed 500,000 Sunday while the number of people hospitalized continued to fall slightly after peaking on Friday.
The number of those in the state hospitalized for COVID-19 fell by 12 Sunday to 696 after reaching a record high of 717 on Friday and 708 on Saturday, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported.
The number of hospitals reporting hospitalizations also fell nine percentage points Sunday to 76%.
The number of completed COVID-19 tests increased by 13,876 Sunday to 511,226.
DHHS reported 921 new COVID-19 cases across the state Sunday, bringing the total to 35,546. The agency reported 996 people have died, up four from a day earlier.
The percentage of positive cases remained at 10% Saturday, the latest figure available, after rising slightly Friday from Thursday’s 9%.
Four metrics
State public health officials track coronavirus spread through four main metrics.
Those metrics include hospitalizations, the percentage of people who visit emergency rooms with COVID-19-like symptoms, the number of new cases, and the percentage of people who tested positive.
The rate of people showing symptoms in emergency rooms has been declining. The number of people testing positive continues to rise, but the percentage of people testing positive has between 8% and 10% in June.
From Thursday to Saturday, the state had record numbers of new cases. The coronavirus cases increased by 1,189 on Thursday, 1,289 Friday and 1,370 Saturday.
Hospitalizations have also crept up in the last two weeks, The News & Observer has reported.
From mid-April to mid-May the number of hospitalized individuals mostly remained between 400 and 550.
Since May 25, an average of 671 people a day have been hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide.
The numbers exceeded 700 on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.
“These are very concerning numbers,” DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said in an emailed statement Saturday.
“We must protect our loved ones and neighbors by working together. It begins with the three Ws — wearing a face covering, waiting six feet apart and washing hands frequently. It doesn’t stop there. Testing and knowing who has been exposed so they can have the resources and support they need are our tools for slowing the spread of this virus.”
The News & Observer is keeping a separate count of cases and deaths based on totals from the state and county health departments. Those numbers, which tend to be higher because the state updates its numbers once a day, showed 35,624 cases and 1,032 deaths early Sunday afternoon.
The Triangle and Charlotte
The numbers of new cases also continued to climb in the Triangle and in the Charlotte area. As of Sunday afternoon:
▪ In Mecklenburg County, cases increased by 151 to 5,509. The county has 109 deaths, an increase of three since Saturday.
▪ Durham County cases increased by 89 to 2,114. Forty-eight people have died.
▪ Wake County cases increased by 80 to 2,223. Forty people have died in Wake.
▪ Orange County’s cases increased by 10 to 398. Forty have died in Orange.
