18 New COVID-19 Deaths Increase Lives Lost To 1,343 In NC

CHARLOTTE, NC — North Carolina confirmed 18 new coronavirus deaths since Monday as the number of known COVID-19 cases increased by 1,186, state public health officials said Tuesday.

The state reported 64,670 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in labs around the state, according to the latest data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. To date, 910,033 tests have been completed.

The numbers of actual cases of COVID-19 are likely much higher, according to one federal public health official. Actual COVID-19 rates are likely 10 times higher than the number of confirmed cases, Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week.

As of Tuesday, nine percent of all tests in North Carolina were positive. The World Health Organization recommends that governments have a percent positive rate of 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days before reopening.

New York has identified North Carolina, along with 15 other states, as states with significant community spread of the coronavirus and this week issued a travel advisory requiring travelers visiting the Tar Heel State to quarantine for two weeks after visiting.

SEE ALSO: Should NC Schools Reopen This Fall? Take Patch's Survey

Hospitalizations increased by 65 patients in the past day throughout North Carolina, to 908 hospitalizations Tuesday. The statewide death count also rose, up by 18 since Monday, for a total of 1,343 lives lost to the virus.

Hospital capacity remains available throughout North Carolina, with about three out of every four hospital beds occupied. That's according to a DHHS survey of about 90 percent of the state's hospitals, which showed 28 percent of inpatient hospital beds were available Tuesday. Intensive care unit beds also showed 25 percent remaining available. Ventilator readiness remains stable with 24 percent of the state's supply reportedly in use.

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Globally, more than 10.3 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 507,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Tuesday. In the United States, more than 2.6 million people have been infected and more than 126,000 people have died from COVID-19.

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