North Carolina sees smallest COVID-19 case increase since early June
North Carolina added just 626 coronavirus cases to its running total Monday, the smallest daily increase of new cases in more than two months.
The state Health and Human Services Department reported 136,844 confirmed COVID-19 cases, up from Sunday’s total of 136,218.
Daily increases have typically topped 1,000 statewide, and the total rose by more than 2,000 cases several times in late July. North Carolina has not seen an increase so small since June 2, according to DHHS.
Fatalities statewide rose by four, bringing the COVID-19 death count to 2,172.
DHHS says its COVID-19 data, including hospitalizations, is preliminary and subject to revision. Monday’s data arrived later than DHHS typically reports it.
DHHS spokewoman Kelly Haight Connor said in an email Monday afternoon that one of the commercial labs was late submitting its full testing data file, and that the updated information will be reported Tuesday. But she added that new case numbers are typically lower on Mondays and “this data should be viewed over multiple days in order to accommodate for single day fluctuations and reporting anomalies.”
The state continued to ramp up testing as the total passed 2 million tests in North Carolina. The rate of positive tests hit 5% Monday, putting the state at the benchmark health officials have long made their target.
It’s the first time since May 11 that the state recorded 5% positive tests.
In a recorded message on DHHS’s Twitter account, Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the department, tied the improving numbers to slowing down the state’s reopening and requiring face coverings. The state has been in Phase Two since May 22, and Gov. Roy Cooper has extended the phase’s expiration date three times.
“We see some of that glimmer of hope,” she said.
Monday, the state reported 116,969 patients presumed to be recovered. That number, updated once a week, is an estimate of “a median time to recovery of 14 days from the date of specimen collection” for COVID-19 patients who were not hospitalized or whose status is unknown. A median recovery time for hospitalized patients is 28 days.
Hospitalizations rose slightly across the state, bringing the total to 1,111 patients. With 80% of hospitals reporting, DHHS listed 617 intensive-care beds empty, down slightly from Sunday.
The updated totals come as North Carolina prepares to start public school classes, some in Wake County beginning virtually this week.
One private school in Raleigh, Neuse Christian Academy, canceled classes until further notice after a student tested positive for coronavirus.
Staff writer Lynn Bonner contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 10, 2020 at 3:17 PM.