North Carolina coronavirus cases rise by more than 1,700 as deaths surpass 2,500
North Carolina added more than 1,700 cases to its coronavirus total Saturday, as the death toll from the pandemic surpassed 2,500.
At least 153,641 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Saturday, up 1,729 from Friday, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported Saturday.
Most people, 127,749 as of Monday, have recovered.
The number of new daily cases had fallen to 564 on Monday, a number the state hadn’t experienced since the end of May.
But by Friday, the new cases reached 2,008, the first time the daily case figure had climbed above 2,000 since July 30.
The state reported 27 additional deaths Saturday, bringing the total to 2,521.
The number of those in the state hospitalized for COVID-19 fell by 17 on Saturday to 996, according to DHHS.
A week ago the number of those hospitalized fell to 964, the lowest it has been since early July.
The Saturday hospitalization numbers are based on 92% of the hospitals reporting, which is up from the previous day’s 90% reporting.
The number of completed COVID-19 tests increased by 21,233 Saturday to 2,052,118.
The percent of positive tests remained at 7% Friday, higher than the 5% or less that state health officials want.
State public health officials track coronavirus spread through four main metrics, including hospitalizations, the number of new cases, and the percentage of people who tested positive.
DHHS advises that the data on the COVID-19 dashboard is preliminary and can be adjusted as more reporting is collected. They advise looking at trends over a period of time.
COVID-19 upends colleges’ classes
Saturday marks the end of a week in which COVID-19 outbreaks on state university campuses upended plans for classes and sports.
On Friday, DHHS connected universities’ opening to increased viral spread.
UNC-Chapel Hill, which has reported 617 total COVID-19 cases as of Friday, and N.C. State University, which has reported 311 cases, decided to move to remote classes this week.
Unlike UNC-Chapel Hill, the N.C. State campus will not be closed.
N.C. State students living in residence halls can stay if they wish and graduate school classes will continue as a mix of in-person and online instruction.
East Carolina University in Greenville paused football activities indefinitely Thursday after identifying a coronavirus cluster within the football program, The News & Observer reported.
UNC-Chapel-Hill, which paused athletics on Wednesday, extended the suspension through Saturday, the athletics department announced on Twitter Saturday.
This story was originally published August 22, 2020 at 1:15 PM.
