NC tops 3,000 hospitalizations for the first time during the COVID pandemic
North Carolina has over 3,000 people in hospitals due to COVID-19 for the first time since the pandemic started.
Daily hospitalizations have increased by nearly 1,000 since the beginning of December, according to data from the state Department of Health and Human Services. On Dec. 1, there were 2,033 people in the hospital due to the virus.
DHHS reported 5,255 new cases statewide on Tuesday and over 45,000 tests taken over the past day.
The seven-day average for new cases is at 6,043, the fifth day in a row that the average has been over the 6,000 mark.
The rate of tests returned positive on Sunday, the latest day for which data is available, was 11.1%. That brought the seven-day average of percent positive to 11.1%, a slight decreases from 11.2%.
State health officials have said a safe rate of percent positive is 5% or lower. North Carolina hasn’t seen a positivity rate that low since Sept. 24.
The state reported an additional 51 deaths on Tuesday, bringing the total to 6,291.
The seven-day average for daily deaths due to the virus is now at 59. The average has been in the 50s since Thursday, steadily increasing.
A month ago the average was 33.
Case and hospitalization data reported by DHHS is preliminary and subject to change upon further investigation.
Heavy community spread in over 90 counties
Tuesday’s update of the county alert system shows 92 counties in North Carolina are facing critical or substantial community spread of COVID-19, according to DHHS.
DHHS color-codes each county: Red means critical spread, orange means substantial and yellow means significant. Only eight counties are yellow, the least severe tier.
Sixty-five counties are red, an increase of 48 from the last report earlier in December.
Wake and Durham counties are orange. Orange County is yellow, and Johnston County is red.
Gov. Roy Cooper called the trend “alarming,” citing a daily record of 8,000 cases last week and more than 10% of tests turning up positive.
“This virus continues to spread quickly,” Cooper said at a press conference Tuesday. “Don’t get numb to these numbers. They have plateaued a bit over the last few weeks, but they are too high.”
New federal COVID-19 stimulus
The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate passed a $900 billion stimulus on Monday, the second such COVID-19 stimulus and first since since March.
It includes $25 billion in rental assistance of which North Carolina is estimated to receive nearly $700 million, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for more affordable housing.
The legislation also includes a second round of stimulus checks. They’re worth $600 for each person and dependent child as long as the person makes less than $75,000.
There will also be an extra $300 a week in unemployment benefits up until mid-March.
Thousands of North Carolinians currently owe the state money due to overpayment from benefits given earlier in the year, The N&O reported. This was due in part to confusion over eligibility from the federal unemployment benefits in the first round of stimulus.
The Payment Protection Program from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, received $284 billion in new funding as well.
That program allows businesses to take out low-interest loans to help fund their operations.
If President Donald Trump signs the new legislation, it will become law.
This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 12:40 PM.