Positive coronavirus test results fall across NC, but hospitalizations keep climbing
Positive coronavirus test results dropped to 8% in North Carolina Wednesday.
The state Department of Health and Human Services reported a 2-point percentage drop in its latest update, down from 10%.
As testing has ramped up statewide, positive tests have been one of the main barometers for measuring the virus’ spread. The positive statistic has not been lower than 8% since May 26, when it was 7%.
DHHS had initially reported 11% positive tests Tuesday but adjusted it Wednesday, as the agency frequently does to clarify updated data.
Meanwhile, DHHS reported 91,266 confirmed cases of COVID-19, up 1,782 from Tuesday’s total. State health officials reported an additional 16 deaths, bringing the count to 1,568 statewide.
The update comes as Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday that the state will remain in Phase Two until the number of cases, hospitalizations and emergency room visits improves. Those restrictions limit crowd size and keep some businesses closed.
Phase Two was set to expire this Friday, but will now extend three more weeks until Aug. 7.
The state has now conducted 1,284,637 tests, up 29,791 from Tuesday’s total.
DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen has said she wants to see the percent positive return on tests around 5%. Shortly after the state’s face covering rule took effect June 26, she predicted it would take at least two to three weeks to see a difference in the numbers.
But the percentage has largely moved higher since the pandemic began, and it has dropped by 2 percentage points on only a handful of days, according to DHHS reports.
Hospitalized patients, another benchmark in the state’s coronavirus analysis, climbed to 1,142, up by 33. North Carolina continues to set daily records for people hospitalized with the coronavirus.
The state’s inpatient beds are now 76% occupied, slightly higher than the report on Tuesday, while 81% of its intensive-care beds are filled.
State health officials are keeping a close eye on these trends as North Carolina schools are set to reopen in August with many students attending class on limited schedules with strict social distancing in place.
But those plans could change, Cooper said Tuesday, with a dramatic uptick in new COVID-19 cases.
Also Wednesday, the state Department of Public Safety announced that a male inmate in his 50s had died of COVID-19 complications. The prisoner, the sixth to die in custody, had other health complications.
“His death is a tragedy, and we are continuing to work hard to handle the impact of COVID-19 in our prisons,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “The health and safety of the staff and the offenders in our custody remains our top priority.”
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 1:09 PM.