After almost 1,000 new coronavirus cases are reported, NC’s count surpasses 45,000
North Carolina now has more than 45,000 people who have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, according to data released Monday by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
There were 983 new cases reported Monday by DHHS, bringing the total of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state to 45,102. DHHS reported 1,118 people have died from the virus, nine more than Sunday.
North Carolina’s positive test rate remains a concern and is among the highest in the country, DHHS secretary Mandy Cohen said on Friday. Of the 11,349 tests performed Sunday, 8% were positive. The state has tested 638,479 people since the pandemic started.
Gov. Roy Cooper, in his Monday press conference, said DHHS was expanding testing, tracing and other assistance to counties -- Alamance, Duplin, Durham, Forsyth, Guilford, Johnston, Lee, Mecklenburg and Wake -- that he said were of “particular concern.”
The state reported 797 people are currently hospitalized, one fewer than on Sunday. The DHHS said there were 22 percent of ICU beds available and 27% of hospital beds, with 73% of hospitals statewide reporting.
Some of the demographic data provided by the DHHS offers a snapshot of trends in a state that has a population of about 10.5 million people.
While the numbers of confirmed positive cases has risen, those 65 and older make up 14% of the total — 7% for those age 65 to 74, and 7% for those 75 and older.
But the same age demographic accounts for 82% of the state’s deaths (919) — 20% for those 65 to 74, and 62% for those 75 and older.
In the most recent report from congregate living settings, released Friday, there were more than 5,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 676 deaths in nursing homes and residential care facilities across the state.
“We want demographic data as specific as possible,” Cooper said Monday. “We want it statewide, we also want it by county. I will tell you we have a very disjointed independent health care system across the state and trying to get all this data and focus it in one place is a difficult exercise. There’s still some reporting we want that we’re not getting.”
Wake County announced Sunday that an outbreak of COVID-19 has been confirmed at Windsor Point, a long-term care facility in Fuquay-Varina. County EMS Director Jose Cabana said the county was working with the facility to respond to the outbreak.
The state defines an outbreak as two or more cases but the county reported that “several” residents had tested positive for the virus.
The DHHS ethnicity data also is of interest. Hispanics account for 44 percent of the confirmed cases of the virus but just 7 percent of the deaths, according to the DHHS report.
The News & Observer is keeping a separate count of cases and deaths based on totals from the state and county health departments. The N&O numbers tend to be higher because the state updates its numbers once a day at noon.
The 1,443 new cases reported Sunday marked the second-highest increase in new cases — the highest was 1,768 announced Friday.
CAAs receiving flexible funds
The DHHS on Monday announced the state’s Community Action Agencies (CAAs) were beginning to receive flexible funds that can be used to help low-income individuals and families affected by the economic disruption of the pandemic.
These funds have a variety of uses, providing help to eligible residents facing eviction with unmet rent and utility expenses.
“With the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor’s moratorium on evictions and utility shutoffs is the only thing keeping many families in safe and stable housing,” Cohen said in a statement. “This flexible funding will allow our Community Action Agencies to continue to meet a wide array of needs in our communities, including helping families remain in their homes when the moratorium is lifted.”
Community Action Agencies are nonprofits created by President Lyndon B. Johnson’s signing of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. To be eligible for CSBG-funded services, individuals and families must be at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.
“Community Action Agencies have helped bridge gaps for low wealth residents and communities for 55 years,” Sharon Goodson, Executive Director of the NC Community Action Association, said in a statement. “They provide comprehensive services like case management, transportation, housing, employment, education, child care, eviction and emergency assistance programs to ensure low wealth residents increase and maintain their economic stability.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2020 at 12:50 PM.
