Statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations top 1,000 for first time since August
COVID-19 hospitalizations in North Carolina increased to 1,013 on Tuesday, the first time since Aug. 21 that hospitalizations have topped 1,000.
Overall, hospitalizations have increased by over 100 since Sunday. The state Department of Health and Human Services reported 902 hospitalizations on Sunday.
The percentage of tests that came back positive on Sunday, the latest day reported by DHHS, was 7.9%. That increased from 6.2% on Saturday.
Overall, Sunday’s increase brought the seven-day average of positive tests to 6.2%, increasing steadily from the 5.2% reported on Sept. 27.
DHHS officials have said the target number for percent positive is 5% or lower.
The increase in hospitalizations and percent positive rate come as Gov. Roy Cooper allowed the state to enter phase 3 of eased pandemic restrictions on Friday.
Phase 3 allows bars, movie theaters and amusement parks to reopen statewide at limited capacity.
DHHS reported an additional 1,504 coronavirus cases statewide Tuesday, bringing the total since the onset of the pandemic to 221,258.
As of Tuesday, 3,670 North Carolinians have died due to COVID-19, an increase of 33 from the day before.
Wake Forest fire station outbreak
Five firefighters at a fire station in Wake Forest have tested positive for COVID-19, the town announced Tuesday.
The first positive case was reported on Saturday.
This is the second outbreak at a fire station in the Triangle as 17 firefighters in Clayton tested positive for the coronavirus in August.
That outbreak was followed by the deaths of the department’s deputy chief of operations and training and a part-time firefighter’s wife, The News & Observer reported.