NC's Tally Of Known COVID-19 Cases Now At 204,331

NORTH CAROLINA — The number of known cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina rose sharply Friday to 204,331. The tally reflected a day-over-day increase of 6,142 known cases in the state — a dramatic increase due to the new inclusion of rapid antigen testing data in daily metrics, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said.

Prior to Friday, the state's positive COVID-19 count came from molecular (PCR) testing, which are processed in a lab.

"Reporting on antigen tests has been challenging, as antigen tests are typically administered at the point of care such as a clinician’s office," DHHS said Friday. "To date, there have been far fewer cases diagnosed by antigen tests than by molecular (PCR) tests in North Carolina. However, antigen testing is expanding in various point-of-care settings, such as nursing homes and health care provider offices."

North Carolina public health officials reported 3,409 deaths Friday, an increase of 53 lives lost to the virus in the span of a day.

Hospitalizations remained steady throughout the state, with at least 903 patients hospitalized Friday, one more than was reported Thursday.

A Sept. 25 survey of 93 percent of the state's hospitals reported that there were 4,953 empty staffed inpatient hospital beds and 497 empty staffed intensive care unit beds remaining in the state. Ventilators also remained in supply, according to the survey, with 2,467 available, DHHS said.

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As of Friday, there were 14 COVID-19 clusters reported in North Carolina schools and 12 active clusters at child care centers. DHHS defines a cluster as five or more lab-confirmed cases that are linked. As of Sept. 25, there were at least 123 positive COVID-19 cases associated with school clusters and at least 370 positive cases and three deaths associated with child care centers.

Globally, more than 32.3 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 985,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Friday afternoon. In the United States, more than 7 million people have been infected and more than 203,000 people have died from COVID-19.

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