COVID-19 Update: 2,885 New Cases, 38 Deaths In North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, NC — North Carolina reported 2,885 newly confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday, increasing the state's tally of known cases to 269,021, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Reported.

Wednesday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced a new executive order preventing evictions for those suffering financially due to the pandemic.

“Many families are trying to do the right thing, but this virus has made it difficult," Cooper said. "Roughly three to 400,000 households across North Carolina are currently unable to pay rent."

The move will be a reprieve for 240,000 North Carolinians slated for eviction proceedings by January 2021, according to a National Council of State Housing Agencies report.

The news follows the Center for Disease Control and Protection's temporary residential eviction moratorium put into place last month that calls for stopping evictions through Dec. 31. Earlier this month, Cooper launched the NC HOPE program that helps provide financial assistance for residents feeling hardship due to the pandemic by making direct payments to landlords and utility companies.

According to Cooper, more than 22,800 applications have been submitted to the $117 million program.

“The result during this global pandemic will be more North Carolinians staying in their homes, more landlords getting paid rent, and fewer utility companies shutting off power.”

At least 38 North Carolinians died from COVID-19 illness since Wednesday, upping the death toll to 4,283. Hospitalizations dipped to 1,181 patients Thursday, a dozen fewer than reported the day prior, DHHS said.

In the greater Charlotte metro region, 367 staffed intensive care unit beds were reported in use, leaving empty 61, or about 14 percent. Hospitals in the region also reported that 3,744 staffed inpatient beds were in use Thursday, leaving 937 empty.

As of Thursday, there were 29 COVID-19 clusters reported in K-12 schools in North Carolina. DHHS defines a cluster as five or more lab-confirmed cases that are linked. At least 360 positive COVID-19 cases were associated with K-12 school clusters, DHHS said.

Globally, more than 44.8 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 1.1 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Thursday. In the United States, more than 8.9 million people have been infected and more than 228,000 people have died from COVID-19.