NC Reports Spike In COVID-19 Hospitalizations, 1,749 New Cases

NORTH CAROLINA — Following four days in a row of slowing receding numbers, North Carolina hospitals reported a spike in the numbers of patients seeking medical care for COVID-19 in what is a new record-breaking day for hospitalizations in the state, according to state public health officials.

North Carolina's total number of COVID-19 cases rose by 1,749 newly confirmed cases Tuesday, increasing the number of known cases of the virus in the state to 116,087. The number of patients of hospitalized with coronavirus-related illness surged to 1,244 patients Tuesday, an increase of 75 hospitalizations in the state in the span of one day.

The virus death toll rose across the state Tuesday to 1,820, an increase of 30 lives lost to the virus in North Carolina since Monday, according to DHHS data.

The number of COVID-19 cases and clusters associated with either a school or child care center is also increasing. North Carolina public health officials define a cluster as five or more laboratory-confirmed cases with plausible linkage. Friday, there were 96 cases related to clusters associated with one school and 12 child care centers, according to a DHHS report. By Tuesday, there were 111 confirmed COVID-19 cases and two additional child care center clusters reported.

State public health officials said Tuesday that 7 percent of testing overall in North Carolina was positive, down from the recent high of 10 percent positivity reported July 2. Numerous counties in North Carolina, however, reported much higher positivity rates, according to DHHS. Montgomery County reported the highest, at 21 percent of its COVID-19 tests were positive as of Tuesday, followed by Robeson County with 18 percent, Hoke County with 15 percent and Gaston County with 13 percent.

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A July 28 survey of 96 percent of the state's hospitals reported that there were 6,266 empty inpatient hospital beds and 686 empty intensive care unit beds remaining in the state. Ventilators also remained in supply, according to the survey, with about 2,472 remaining available, DHHS said.

In the greater Charlotte metro region, 391 patients were hospitalized as of Tuesday, including 80 patients who were admitted since Monday and suspected to have COVID-19, DHHS said. The hospitalizations left 86 empty staffed intensive care unit beds and 1,275 empty staffed inpatient hospital beds remaining in the 13-county region.

Globally, more than 16.5 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 655,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Tuesday. In the United States, more than 4.3 million people have been infected and more than 148,000 people have died from COVID-19.

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