42 COVID-19 Deaths, Nearly 2K New Cases Reported In NC

NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina reported 42 new COVID-19 related deaths Thursday as the number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases in the state rose by 1,979, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

The new cases increased the state's total number of known COVID-19 cases to 131,267, DHHS said. As of Thursday, 2,092 patients in North Carolina had lost their lives to the virus.

Included in the overall tally are 619 offenders in North Carolina state prisons who tested positive, North Carolina Department of Public Safety said Thursday. According to state prison officials, 2.1 percent of the state's 29,062 offenders had tested positive during a recent mass testing.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday announced the Tar Hill State will stay in Phase 2 of its reopening plan for five more weeks, meaning things like gyms, bars and movie theaters will not reopen until Sept. 11 at the earliest.

Cooper said new cases and deaths across the state are showing signs of stabilizing. His decision to extend the current reopening phase, he said, is to turn stable case numbers into declining numbers.

"As I said last week, stable is good, but decreasing is better," Cooper said. "And while we are seeing stabilization of our numbers, that doesn’t mean we can let up. You only have to look at hospitals in other states that have been overwhelmed when reopening occurred too fast."

According to state public health officials, hospitalizations throughout the state remain level. Thursday, they dipped to 1,147 patients, 20 fewer than were reported Wednesday, according to DHHS data.

State public health officials said Thursday that 9 percent of testing overall in North Carolina was positive, up from 7 percent positivity reported Aug. 4. Numerous counties in North Carolina, however, reported much higher positivity rates, according to DHHS.

Robeson County reported the highest, at 19 percent of its COVID-19 tests were positive as of Thursday, followed by Montgomery County with 18 percent and Alleghany County with 16 percent.

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in North Carolina. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily.

An Aug. 6 survey of 90 percent of the state's hospitals reported that there were 5,541 empty staffed inpatient hospital beds and 628 empty staffed intensive care unit beds remaining in the state. Ventilators also remained in supply, according to the survey, with about 2,433 remaining available, DHHS said.

In the greater Charlotte metro region, 313 patients were hospitalized as of Thursday, including 104 patients who were admitted since Wednesday and suspected to have COVID-19, DHHS said. The hospitalizations left 88 empty staffed intensive care unit beds and 996 empty staffed inpatient hospital beds remaining in the 13-county region.

Globally, more than 18.8 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 710,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Thursday. In the United States, more than 4.8 million people have been infected and more than 159,000 people have died from COVID-19.

SEE ALSO:

• NC's Phase 2 Pause Delays High School Sports Beyond Sept. 1