NC's Key COVID-19 Metrics Remain Stable, Some Declining: Governor

NORTH CAROLINA — Two days after a growing number of coronavirus cases on campus prompted the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to abruptly pivot to remote classes, Gov. Roy Cooper called on all state colleges and universities along with their municipalities to enforce coronavirus safety guidelines.

The university decided to scrap in-person instruction for undergraduate students and shift to remote learning after its COVID-19 positivity rate rose from 2.8 percent to 13.6 percent on campus in the span of a week.

"Protection of our students and our faculty have to be the No. 1 priority," Cooper said, urging enforcement of mask mandates and social gathering bans by universities and local law enforcement.

"I do believe that universities need to learn lessons from what happened at UNC-Chapel Hill."

Cooper said Wednesday that key COVID-19 metrics, such as hospitalizations and the positivity rate of new cases, "remain stable and some are declining."

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The positive trends are a direct result to the state's mask mandate, according to Mandy Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

"We're seeing a decline in cases that tracks back directly to when the governor instituted his requirement for face coverings here in the state" that went into effect in late June, Cohen said. "Within three weeks of that time, you started to see our first declines of cases here in North Carolina. I think that very much shows that that mask mandate is driving our success, but the important part to know is that success can be fragile."

The new school year began Monday for most of North Carolina's K-12 students, which has provoked "concern, anxiety and frustration" among parents and educators, Cooper said. The state is investing $12 million in order to expand internet access in rural counties in the form of grants for internet providers to expand high-speed internet service. The initiative is expected to connect about 8,000 families in 11 counties, he said.

The launch of the new school year has also highlighted other technical challenges for students learning remotely after the state's EdCloud server crashed. The outage reportedly affected access to online platforms including PowerSchool, PowerTeacher, Canvas, SchoolNet, Clever and some parent/student portals.

"It really is unacceptable to have those kind of technical glitches when you're trying to do remote learning," Cooper said.

SEE ALSO: First Day Of School In NC Prompts Tech Challenges, COVID Concerns

The spread of coronavirus in North Carolina upped the state's tally by 1,153 cases Wednesday, increasing the number of known cases in the state to 147,932, according to data released by DHHS.

The state's coronavirus death toll rose by 35 Wednesday, increasing the number of lives lost to COVID-19 in North Carolina to 2,431.

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

Three days into the new school year, state public health data indicated there were at least 19 school-associated COVID-19 cases in the state, according to data. Out of the state's tally of coronavirus cases, 239 positive COVID-19 confirmations were associated with ongoing outbreaks and clusters at 19 child care facilities and at least one school.

Hospitalizations dipped slightly throughout the state Wednesday, with 1,001 patients reportedly hospitalized with coronavirus-related illness. The tally is 25 fewer than reported Tuesday.

An Aug. 19 survey of 91 percent of the state's hospitals reported that there were 5,744 empty staffed inpatient hospital beds and 580 empty staffed intensive care unit beds remaining in the state. Ventilators also remained in supply, according to the survey, with 2,386 remaining available, DHHS said.

Globally, more than 22 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 783,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Wednesday afternoon. In the United States, more than 5.5 million people have been infected and more than 172,000 people have died from COVID-19.

SEE ALSO:

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• UNCC Proceeds With On-Campus Classes After UNC Goes Full Remote
  
• All UNC Undergrad Classes To Go Full Remote Amid COVID Fear
  
• NC Launches Job Retention Grant Program: How To Apply
• How Coronavirus Affects North Carolina Kids: 5 Things To Know