North Carolina adds more than 5,000 coronavirus cases, 86 new deaths
North Carolina added more than 5,000 new cases to its coronavirus total Thursday. The number of patients in state hospitals fell slightly after reaching record highs.
The state Department of Health and Human Services reported 457,660 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic’s beginning, up 5,786 from Wednesday’s total.
The death toll from the virus passed 6,000 Wednesday, adding another 86 reported deaths.
Though high, the updated totals represent a slight reprieve after weeks of record-shattering marks across the DHHS dashboard.
Just last week, NC set a new high mark for the daily COVID-19 case count with 7,540 new reports. On Wednesday, North Carolina reached a new high for hospitalized patients for the third day in a row.
Though DHHS reports only seven fewer patients than on Wednesday, space in NC hospitals climbed from 390 to 425 empty intensive-care beds. State health officials have warned that bed space may run short if COVID-19 cases continue to spike.
Testing continued to ramp up across the state as NC residents prepare for holiday travel, which state health officials urge against if possible. The state added another 43,000 tests to its running total, reaching more than 6.1 million overall.
The rate of positive test results, one of the key metrics state health officials are watching, dropped to 11.7% Thursday. Though down from the high mark of 12.5% on Wednesday, the rate remains more than double the 5% state health officials have set as a goal.