NC sets new records for COVID-19 hospitalizations, 7-day average of new cases
For the third day in a row, North Carolina set a new record Monday for the seven-day average of new confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to data reported by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
DHHS reported 1,972 new laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, which almost always has the fewest new cases in a given week.
With Monday’s reported cases, the seven-day average reached 2,764, topping records of 2,699 and 2,553 set Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The past week has seen the top three days for new COVID-19 cases. as health officials warn about the coronavirus’ rapid spread with the holiday season approaching.
North Carolina also reached a record-high for COVID-19 hospitalizations on Sunday, the last day for which data was reported. There were 1,424 people hospitalized with the virus, with 96% of hospitals statewide reporting.
The state’s hospitals have reported at least 1,400 hospitalizations each day since Nov. 12 after not reaching that mark at any point previously during the pandemic.
Monday, North Carolina reported eight new deaths from COVID-19, bringing the toll to 4,814 North Carolinians.
Testing positivity rates also continued to climb on Saturday, the last day for which results are available.
DHHS reported that 8.1% of tests from Saturday came back positive. That meant that the seven-day average for positive tests rose for the eighth consecutive day, reaching 7.8%.
Week-long averages are useful for understanding COVID numbers because they account for single-day anomalies, both high and low, instead showing the general trend.
On Monday, DHHS also released its weekly report of how many people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in North Carolina are presumed to have recovered. For people who are not hospitalized, DHHS estimates recovery time as two weeks after the test that comes back positive. That stretches to four weeks for people who are hospitalized but do not die.
DHHS presumes that 276,312 of the 314,207 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered.
This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 12:13 PM.