45 COVID-19 Deaths, 1,166 New Cases In A Day: NC Update

NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina reported 1,166 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, increasing the state's tally of known coronavirus to 139,061, according to data released by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

News of the tally of new cases in the state come as North Carolina public health officials announced that the state's cumulative COVID-19 counts had been corrected after a discrepancy between electronic and manual reporting of testing data had been discovered.

The discrepancy, which inflated the cumulative COVID-19 test total, did not affect key trends monitored by DHHS, the state agency said.

"Although this reporting error impacts our count of total tests completed, it does not alter our key metrics or change our understanding of COVID-19 transmission in North Carolina, which shows stabilization over the last few weeks," DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen said in a statement.

The state's coronavirus death toll rose by 45 Wednesday, upping the number of lives lost to COVID-19 in North Carolina to 2,249.

According to DHHS data reported Wednesday, 7 percent of tests in North Carolina were positive.

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Hospitalizations dipped slightly throughout the state, according to DHHS data. As of Wednesday, 1,062 patients were hospitalized with coronavirus-related illness in North Carolina, 60 fewer than reported Tuesday.

An Aug. 12 survey of 91 percent of North Carolina hospitals reported 5,307 empty staffed inpatient hospital beds and 560 empty staffed intensive care unit beds remaining in the state. Ventilators also remained in supply, according to the survey, with 2,347 remaining available, DHHS said.

Globally, more than 20 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 744,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Wednesday afternoon. In the United States, more than 5.1 million people have been infected and more than 165,000 people have died from COVID-19.

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