Hospitalizations Near 1K As NC's COVID-19 Count Surpasses 77K

CHARLOTTE, NC — Hospitalization for coronavirus illnesses in North Carolina rose to record heights for at least the third day in a row Wednesday as the state reported an increase of 1,435 confirmed cases of the virus in a day.

The new batch of cases of novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, increased the state's total to more than 77,000 lab-confirmed cases, according to North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services data.

The state's virus-related death tally rose to 1,441 Wednesday, 21 deaths higher than reported Tuesday.

As of Wednesday, 10 percent of COVID-19 tests conducted in the state were positive.

Hospitalizations rose by five patients to 994 patients reported Wednesday, marking the fourth day of increases and the highest number of patients treated for COVID-19 reported in the state yet, according to data.

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Hospital capacity remains available throughout the state, according to a DHHS survey of about 89 percent of the state's hospitals. According to the state agency, there were 4,399 staffed inpatient hospital beds and 460 intensive care unit beds that remained empty in the state as of July 8. Ventilator readiness remained stable with 73 percent — or about 2,374 — of the state's supply available for use.

Overall, North Carolina has available hospital capacity, however, capacity can vary regionally, DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen said during a news conference Tuesday.

"One of the places we're watching closely is the Charlotte area, in terms of hospital capacity. That is a place where we've seen higher rates of hospitalizations," she said.

While hospitalizations have gone up across the state, use of intensive care unit beds has remained stable. "That is a good sign," Cohen said. "We're seeing more patients in the hospital but less of them needing that highest level of severe care," she said.

As of Wednesday, 10 COVID-19 cases were confirmed stemming from two school-based clusters reported in Iredell and Union counties. Additionally, 57 COVID-19 cases were associated with seven clusters reported at child care centers throughout the state, DHHS said.

DHHS said it estimated 55,318 patients were presumed recovered from symptoms as of July 6. The agency said it "estimates a median time to recovery of 14 days from the date of specimen collection for non-fatal COVID-19 cases who were not hospitalized, or if hospitalization status is unknown."

Globally, more than 11.9 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 546,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Wednesday. In the United States, more than 3 million people have been infected and more than 132,000 people have died from COVID-19.

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