COVID-19 hospitalizations increase in NC as school districts discuss in-person instruction
North Carolina reported 889 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, but the actual number is higher, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services reported.
A technical problem prevented some laboratory information from being processed, according to a note on the North Carolina COVID-19 dashboard. The missing numbers will be included in Wednesday’s count.
With the new cases added Tuesday, the state has counted 209,137 COVID-19 cases since the coronavirus pandemic started in March.
Hospital information comes from 97% of the state’s 112 hospitals reporting 950 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized Monday. Hospitalization numbers had been in the high 800s to low 900s for most of September. The last time more than 950 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized was on Sept. 3, when there were 955.
Another 49 COVID-19 related deaths were reported Tuesday, bringing the state total to 3,494.
Six percent of coronavirus tests taken Saturday were positive. The positive percentage rate had been closer to the target of 5% for two weeks.
DHHS says the information on its data dashboard, including hospitalizations, is preliminary and subject to revision. Health officials encourage looking at two-week trends rather than daily numbers.
Phase 2.5 of Gov. Roy Cooper’s plan to gradually loosen restrictions on businesses and leisure activities expires Friday. He said last week that he expects to permit large venues with more than 10,000 seats to allow audiences at up to 7% capacity. More details are expected this week.
The state said yesterday that some nursing homes can begin allowing indoor visitors, as long as the homes haven’t had a recent COVID-19 case and is in a county where the percent of positive coronavirus tests is below 10%.
Visitation to long-term care facilities had been restricted since March. Elderly people are at high risk of severe COVID-19 complications and the virus spreads quickly through congregate care institutions.
As of Tuesday morning, 1,413 COVID-19 deaths in the state were connected to nursing homes, according to DHHS.
The Orange County school board is set to talk Tuesday afternoon about opening schools under a hybrid model that would include both in-person and remote learning, The News & Observer reported. Orange County started the school year with all online instruction.
Cooper announced two weeks ago that elementary schools can return to daily, in-person instruction on Monday.
Wake County school administrators have a plan that board members are set to vote on Tuesday night that would start bringing Pre-K - 5 students and special education students into classrooms part-time beginning Oct. 26, and transitioning them to daily, in-person class in November, The N&O reported.