1,688 New COVID-19 Cases, 40 Deaths Reported In North Carolina

NORTH CAROLINA — The number of known cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina jumped by 1,688 new cases Thursday. North Carolina reported a total of 198,189 known COVID-19 cases and 3,356 deaths, an increase of 40 lives lost to the virus in the span of a day, according to data provided by North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Hospitalizations dipped slightly throughout the state, with at least 902 patients reported hospitalized for COVID-like symptoms Thursday, 10 fewer than reported Wednesday.

A Sept. 24 survey of 97 percent of the state's hospitals reported that there were 5,225 empty staffed inpatient hospital beds and 504 empty staffed intensive care unit beds remaining in the state. Ventilators also remained in supply, according to the survey, with 2,446 available, DHHS said.

Charlotte metro region hospitals reported 1,064 empty staffed inpatient hospital beds and 78 empty staffed intensive care beds.

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As of Thursday, there were 14 COVID-19 clusters reported in North Carolina schools and 12 active clusters at child care centers. DHHS defines a cluster as five or more lab-confirmed cases that are linked. As of Sept. 24, there were at least 96 positive COVID-19 cases associated with school clusters and at least 358 positive cases and three deaths associated with child care centers.

Globally, more than 32 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 979,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Thursday afternoon. In the United States, more than 6.9 million people have been infected and more than 202,000 people have died from COVID-19.

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