COVID-19 In NC: 800 New Cases, Hospitalizations Remain Steady

NORTH CAROLINA — The number of known cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina rose by 800 new cases Monday. North Carolina reported a total of 194,381 known COVID-19 cases and 3,247 deaths, an increase of four lives lost to the virus since Sunday, according to data provided by North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Hospitalizations dipped slightly throughout the state, with at least 885 patients reported hospitalized for COVID-like symptoms Monday, four fewer than reported Sunday.

A Sept. 21 survey of 95 percent of the state's hospitals reported that there were 6,183 empty staffed inpatient hospital beds and 594 empty staffed intensive care unit beds remaining in the state. Ventilators also remained in supply, according to the survey, with 2,403 available, DHHS said.

Charlotte metro region hospitals reported 1,210 empty staffed inpatient hospital beds and 108 empty staffed intensive care beds.

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As of Monday, there were eight COVID-19 clusters reported in North Carolina schools and 14 active clusters at child care centers. DHHS defines a cluster as five or more lab-confirmed cases that are linked. As of Sept. 21, there were at least 50 positive COVID-19 cases associated with school clusters and at least 332 positive cases associated with child care centers.

Globally, more than 31 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 962,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Monday. In the United States, more than 6.8 million people have been infected and more than 199,000 people have died from COVID-19.