More Than 5,000 New COVID-19 Cases Reported In North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, NC — North Carolina reported 5,303 new coronavirus cases Friday, upping the state's tally of COVID-19 cases to 382,534. The rise in cases increases the percentage of positive cases, which state health officials want below 5 percent, to 11.2 percent, according to North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services data.

As of Dec. 4, coronavirus had claimed at least 5,467 lives since March. At least 206 North Carolinians have died from COVID-19 since Monday.

Statewide hospitalizations also rose to a new high Friday. According to DHHS data, at least 2,157 patients sought medical treatment for coronavirus illness, an increase of 191 patients reported since Monday.

SEE ALSO: NC Reports 'Devastating Milestone' In New COVID-19 Case Spike

Supply of staffed hospital beds are growing thin in the 13 counties that comprise the Charlotte metro region. As of Friday, about 89 percent of the regional staffed intensive care unit beds were full, leaving 47 empty staffed ICU beds, according to DHHS. About 82 percent of the region's staffed inpatient hospital beds were full, leaving 846 staffed beds available.

Mecklenburg County Public Health reported that as of Friday, the county's tally included 45,068 cases and 468 COVID-19 deaths. In the past week, about 10.9 percent of those tested in the county were positive for coronavirus and an average of 226 people were hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 infections.

The surge in cases this week around the state and just days following the Thanksgiving holiday is a "devastating milestone" for the state, DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen said Thursday.

"This number is alarming," Cohen said during a news conference. "I am very worried."

"I know this is a particularly hard time of year to stay home and away from family and friends, yet it is the best way we can take personal responsibility and show our care for them as we fight this global pandemic," she said. In 11 months, COVID-19 has led to three times the number of North Carolinians as the flu did in the past decade, she added.

Cohen urged anyone in the state who attended a Thanksgiving gathering to get a COVID-19 test.

"If you are with someone you don't live with, wear a mask and keep your distance," and limit social interactions as much as possible, Cohen said.

And while a coronavirus vaccine is on the horizon, "it's not a quick fix," and it will take several months to get enough supply for widespread vaccinations, she said.

"You need to take precautions as if everyone around you has it," she said.

SEE ALSO:

• NC Health Officials Preparing For COVID-19 Vaccine Roll Out
• Coronavirus Spread In Mecklenburg: See Your Risk Of Exposure
• Deadly Surge: 82 COVID-19 Deaths In NC In One Day