NC reports another high for coronavirus hospitalizations, dozens of deaths this week
Nearly 1,000 people are now hospitalized with coronavirus issues in North Carolina, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services reported Wednesday.
According to DHHS data, there were 994 people needing hospital care, setting another one-day high in the state since the COVID-19 pandemic reached North Carolina in early March. That was an increase from 989 on Tuesday as the total continues to creep up.
With 89% of the hospitals reporting, 24% of the state’s inpatient hospital beds were available and 20% of intensive care unit beds available.
There were 1,435 new confirmed cases of coronavirus reported Wednesday, a slight increase from Tuesday (1,346) and 21,051 completed tests. In total, there have been 77,310 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state.
DHHS reported that 1,441 people have died from the coronavirus in North Carolina, which has a population of about 10.5 million people. That was an increase of 21 deaths from Tuesday’s report and 43 from Monday’s.
“I continue to be concerned that North Carolina’s key COVID-19 metrics are moving in the wrong direction,” DHHS secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said at a Tuesday press conference. “Daily case counts are up and the percent of tests returning positive has stayed high.
“Our state needs to stabilize these trends in order to avoid a dangerous spike in the virus that could overwhelm our medical systems and risk us going backward, as so many states are doing right now. While we’re seeing hospitalizations go up we’re actually seeing ICU utilization stay the same, so that is a good sign.”
Increased access to coronavirus testing in NC
In Wake County, there have been 6,471 reported cases of coronavirus and 54 deaths, an increase of 172 cases and two additional deaths from Tuesday. Of that total, 847 deaths (59%) have been by those ages 75 and older.
The state’s testing numbers should steadily rise given the DHHS announcement Tuesday that North Carolinians no longer need a doctor’s referral to get a coronavirus test.
DHHS issued a statewide standing order for COVID-19 diagnostic testing and also issued a temporary order on COVID-19 diagnostic test reporting. That should make it easier for people to get tested and enable the state to better track the results.
The order allows testing sites to collect and submit samples to a lab for COVID-19 testing without a specific order from a doctor, and authorizes testing sites to receive results directly from laboratories. A referral from a doctor or other healthcare provider previously was needed.
“It just allows for that testing to happen more quickly as well as for results to go back to that person in a more streamlined way,” Cohen said Tuesday.
Cohen said the state is opening 300 free temporary testing locations. The initiative, Cohen said, is designed to increase access to free COVID-19 testing in African American, Hispanic and Latinx and American Indian communities in 100 Zip codes.
“That will really accelerate access to testing in some of our most needed communities that haven’t have access to testing,” Cohen said.
Wake County reports long-term care facility outbreak
Wake County confirmed Wednesday that there has been an outbreak of COVID-19 at The Oaks at Whitaker Glen-Mayview, a long-term care facility in Raleigh.
Test results showed that an undisclosed number of staff members had tested positive for the virus at the facility. No additional information about employees or residents at the facility were disclosed.
The DHHS, in its congregate living COVID-19 report Tuesday, said there had been outbreaks at 12 nursing homes in Wake County.
This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 12:44 PM.
