Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on June 22
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We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date news about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases top 53,000
At least 53,605 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 1,223 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday reported an additional 804 cases of the virus, down from 1,412 reported the day before.
Officials on Monday reported three additional deaths.
At least 870 coronavirus patients were in North Carolina hospitals on Monday, the third-highest hospitalization count ever reported in the state.
Monday’s count comes after officials reported 883 hospitalizations on Saturday, a single-day high and the state’s fifth consecutive day of record-breaking hospitalizations. Sunday’s total dropped to 845.
About 73% of North Carolina hospitals reported data on Monday, compared to 87% on Saturday.
Metrics moving in wrong direction
Three key metrics that state officials are using to determine if the state can ease more restrictions are moving in the wrong direction.
Phase Two of the state’s reopening plan expires Friday, but cases, hospitalizations and the percentage of positive tests are still high, officials said Monday.
“Key metrics are moving in the wrong direction,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. DHHS, said Monday.
She said officials are trying to balance “competing interests” when making decisions, such as the state’s economy, protecting public health and not overwhelming the health care system.
Gov. Roy Cooper has said he’ll announce a decision on the state’s next steps early this week.
Percentage of positive tests drops
The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests dropped to 9% after recent results have had health officials concerned.
About 11,600 coronavirus tests were reported Monday for a total of 757,345 since the pandemic began.
The latest total came after 10% of tests came back positive on Saturday and Sunday.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, N.C. DHHS secretary, has said she wants positive results to drop to about 5%. The percentage of positive tests is a metric state health officials are using to gauge how the state is containing the virus.
The percent positive rate cannot be calculated by simply dividing the number of cases by the number of completed tests, mainly due to the timing of when tests are administered and when and how test results are submitted to the state from labs.
Outbreak at prison
Mass testing at a North Carolina prison east of Charlotte revealed a coronavirus outbreak.
At least 60 inmates at Albemarle Correctional Institution have been infected with COVID-19 — one of the largest outbreaks in the state prison system.
Prison officials say they’re in the process of testing all of the medium custody facility’s about 750 inmates. So far, about 217 inmates have been tested. None of the inmates who have tested positive are showing symptoms, officials tell The Charlotte Observer.
Last week, the N.C. Department of Public Safety said it was starting to test all 31,000 inmates in the state prison system after a judge ordered that prisons come up with a plan for testing all inmates.
UNC Health relaxes visitor restrictions
UNC Health on Monday started to ease some restrictions for people visiting its Triangle hospitals.
In most inpatient areas, people who are hospitalized will be able to have one designated visitor. Face masks and health screenings will be required for visitors.
The hospital system implemented restrictions in March in response to the spread of COVID-19. It has outlined other exceptions for other patients, including children and those receiving end-of-life care.
Butner inmate dies
Another inmate at the Federal Correctional Complex at Butner has died, The News & Observer reported Sunday.
Wayne Delvin Littlecrow, 55, died Saturday after testing positive for the coronavirus on June 1 and being put on a ventilator June 6, prison officials say.
The complex has one of the largest coronavirus outbreaks in the federal prison system. Just at its low-security prison there are 612 active cases of the virus among inmates and six active cases among staff. A total of 12 inmates and one staff member have died.
Littlecrow had pre-existing health conditions that put him at a higher risk for COVID-19, officials said.
Movie theaters prepare to reopen
Movie theaters in North Carolina are preparing to reopen safely when the state allows them to do so.
They would have been allowed to reopen under initial plans for Phase Two, but the governor instead moved the state into a more modest plan in which they remained closed. North Carolina’s current phase of reopening could end June 26, and Cooper has said he’ll make an announcement about the next steps early this week.
Now major chains and local theaters are making reopening plans.
Some changes include requiring the use of face masks, limiting capacities in theaters and restricting food services, The News & Observer reports.
This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 6:51 AM.
