New high reached for hospitalized COVID-19 patients in North Carolina

The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in North Carolina hit a new high Friday as the state added another 2,000 new cases to its total.

The state Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,180 people in hospitals across the state, up 46 from Thursday. That number has trended steadily upward for the last month. On June 17, DHHS reported 846 hospitalized patients.

Hospitals statewide report inpatient beds at 77 percent capacity, up slightly from Thursday, and intensive-care beds 79 percent filled, down by a percentage point. State officials are closely watching hospital space as they consider reopening during the pandemic.

Also Friday, DHHS reported the state’s total caseload has grown to 95,477 since the pandemic began, up 2,051 from Thursday’s total. The death toll from those cases has grown to 1,606, adding another 18 reports of fatalities since Thursday.

The updated totals come as the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit newsroom based in Washington, D.C., released an unpublished White House document showing North Carolina among 18 states in the “red zone” for COVID-19 cases.

Any state with more than 100 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people was included in the “red zone,” and was advised to keep stringent restrictions in place, including small gatherings, closed bars and gyms and mandatory face coverings.

Prepared for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, the document has not been released publicly, the center reported. The zone is concentrated in the Southeast and includes South Carolina, which is listed in a separate red zone for positive COVID-19 test results.

A White House official told McClatchy that the coronavirus task force is recommending that states listed in “red zones” begin implementing more stringent protective measures.

“Dr. (Deborah) Birx and some other members of the task force put together that document,” a White House official confirmed. “There are measures that they can take to help slow the spread. I think what the task force and the administration has been consistent in saying is that we don’t have plans to shut down the economy again.”

Meanwhile, testing continues to ramp up across the state, which health officials say accounts for some of the rising numbers. As of Friday, North Carolina had conducted 1,343,974 COVID-19 tests. The rate of positive test results is now 8 percent, near where it has hovered for much of this week.

This story was originally published July 17, 2020 at 12:22 PM with the headline "New high reached for hospitalized COVID-19 patients in North Carolina."