NC COVID-19 Update: 4 New Deaths, 868 New Cases

NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina's tally of COVID-19 cases grew by 868 newly confirmed case Monday, increasing the state's total number of cases to 208,248, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said.

North Carolina public health officials reported 3,445 deaths Monday, an increase of 36 lives lost to the virus since Friday.

Hospitalizations dipped slightly Monday. At least 897 patients were hospitalized Sept. 28, a decrease of 20 patients since Sunday.

A Sept. 28 survey of 96 percent of the state's hospitals reported that there were 6,064 empty staffed inpatient hospital beds and 558 empty staffed intensive care unit beds remaining in the state. Ventilators also remained in supply, according to the survey, with 2,492 available, DHHS said.

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As of Monday, there were 14 COVID-19 clusters reported in North Carolina schools and 13 active clusters at child care centers. DHHS defines a cluster as five or more lab-confirmed cases that are linked. As of Sept. 28, there were at least 130 positive COVID-19 cases associated with school clusters and at least 377 positive cases and three deaths associated with child care centers.

Globally, more than 33 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 998,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Monday. In the United States, more than 7.1 million people have been infected and nearly 205,000 people have died from COVID-19.

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