COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Spike In North Carolina

NORTH CAROLINA — The number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases continues to grow in North Carolina. Thursday, at least 2,428 new cases were reported in the state, marking the biggest day-over-day spike in at least a month.

Hospitalizations throughout the state also jumped to 1,051 patients Thursday, representing a steady increase in the past week and 112 more than reported one week ago.

Earlier this week, North Carolina's top public health official acknowledged that coronavirus trends were taking a turn in the wrong direction in the state. "Our cases have ticked up, as have the percent that have tested positive and hospitalizations," North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said Tuesday.

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As of Thursday, at least 29 lives were lost since Wednesday, increasing the state's total to 3,722 deaths.

An Oct. 8 survey of 97 percent of the state's hospitals reported that there were 5,021 empty staffed inpatient hospital beds and 502 empty staffed intensive care unit beds remaining in the state. Ventilators also remained in supply, according to the survey, with 2,494 available, DHHS said.

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As of Thursday, there were 16 COVID-19 clusters reported in North Carolina schools and 9 active clusters at child care centers. DHHS defines a cluster as five or more lab-confirmed cases that are linked. At least 196 positive COVID-19 cases were associated with school clusters and at least 388 positive cases and three deaths associated with child care centers.

Globally, more than 36.2 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 1 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Thursday. In the United States, more than 7.5 million people have been infected and more than 212,000 people have died from COVID-19.

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