After Phase 3 starts, NC sees second highest increase in COVID-19 cases in two months
North Carolina added its second largest daily increase since July 30 to its coronavirus total on Saturday, and the number of people hospitalized remained the same.
The largest increase in two months was reported earlier this week on Oct. 1 at 2,227 cases, the state Department of Health and Human Services reported.
On Saturday, the state reported an additional 1,775 cases.
The state reported 216,886 confirmed cases of COVID-19, up 2,202 cases from Friday’s total. Hospitalizations remained at 921. The official total is likely an undercount since tests were rationed early in the pandemic.
Deaths statewide reached 3,629 Saturday, adding 21 people to the pandemic’s death toll.
The number of COVID-19 hospital patients has also been dropping since Sep. 29 when 946 people were hospitalized, with 97% of hospitals reporting.
Testing for coronavirus is increasing across North Carolina, which has now conducted 3,130,783 COVID-19 tests at a pace of roughly 30,000 a day. Positive results are at 5.6% of those tests. The state has set a target of 5%.
The updated totals come as the state enters Phase 3 of Gov. Roy Cooper’s reopening plan, which began on Friday evening.
Bars, movie theaters and other entertainment venues will have fewer restrictions in this new phase, Cooper announced Wednesday. Restrictions have also loosened for long-term care facilities like nursing homes, and local school districts have been allowed to bring more students back in recent weeks.
“We’re cautiously encouraged about where we are in this pandemic. The key indicators we watch in North Carolina remain mostly stable,” Cooper said Wednesday. “But I have to tell you that we see warning signs that the disease could spike again — here and across the country.”
