More Than 9K Dead From Coronavirus In North Carolina: DHHS

NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina reported 6,490 new coronavirus cases Thursday, increasing the total of known cases in the state to nearly 740,000, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

At least 131 deaths from coronavirus were reported in the state since Wednesday, DHHS said. As of Jan. 28, at least 9,046 state residents had lost their lives to the virus since March.

Hospitalizations fell throughout the state to 3,238 patients, 67fewer patients than reported the day prior and 428 fewer than reported Jan. 21. Despite the dip in hospitalizations, the spread of coronavirus continues to claim hospital resources around the state. As of Thursday, about 17 percent of the state's staffed intensive care unit beds and about 22 percent of its staffed inpatient beds remained empty in the state, according to DHHS data.

SEE ALSO: 5 Things To Know About Getting Vaccinated In North Carolina

In a news conference Wednesday, Gov. Roy Cooper announced that North Carolina's statewide stay-at-home executive order aimed to curb the spread of coronavirus would be extended until late February.

"That means the 10 p.m. curfew is still in place, as are the mask mandates, mass gathering limits, capacity limits for businesses and retail," Cooper said.

Extension of the existing executive order directs residents to stay in their homes between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. The order, which had initially been set to expire Jan. 29, will now be in effect until 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, Cooper said.

Also extended is a statewide moratorium on evictions and an order allowing to-go and delivery sales of mixed alcoholic beverages, both through March 31.

"Health experts have shown that keeping people in their homes is an important way to slow the virus," Cooper said.

North Carolina will soon see an increase in the number of first doses of COVID vaccine it will receive from the federal government, Cooper said Wednesday. The news follows a DHHS announcement earlier in the week that going forward, North Carolina would only receive 120,000 first doses of vaccine from the federal government each week for allocation across the state. The increased supply raises that weekly allotment to around 140,000 doses.

"The sticking point right now for our state and the nation is not enough vaccine," Cooper said. "We do have thousands of shots, but there are millions of people who need two of them."

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