North Carolina hits 4,000 COVID-19 cases as long-term care facilities experience outbreaks
Nearly six weeks after North Carolina reported its first coronavirus case, the state has reached another dark milestone.
County health departments have reported more than 4,000 positive cases of COVID-19 as of Friday night, according to a News & Observer record of the state’s cases.
As outbreaks continue to pop up at congregate living facilities across the state, including nursing homes and prisons, the number of people infected has steadily increased.
North Carolina became the 20th state to reach 4,000 cases, according to a New York Times map of every case in the country. Neighboring Virginia has at least 4,500 cases.
North Carolina reported its first case on March 2. One month later, it reached 2,000 cases. Eight days after that, those cases doubled.
The virus has reached 92 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, according to data reported from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and county health departments. As of Friday at 6 p.m., 84 people have died and 423 remain hospitalized.
The number of cases likely is higher, as some counties, including Wake, are not testing people with mild symptoms, asking them to instead stay at home and self-isolate.
Wake County reported 410 total cases of COVID-19 Friday, 14 more than Thursday. Four people tested positive at Wellington Rehabilitation and Healthcare in Knightdale, the first Wake County long-term care facility to report an outbreak. An outbreak is considered two or more cases, according to the state.
There are now 23 ongoing outbreaks at nursing homes across the state. PruittHealth-Carolina Point in Orange County reported 86 positive cases alone. And Signature Healthcare, also in Orange County, reports at least 31 cases, according to the Orange County Health Department.
“The fact that we have an outbreak is not indicative that (the nursing homes in Orange County) have done something wrong or were negligent,” Quintana Stewart, the Orange County health director, told the N&O in an interview Friday. “This is just a highly contagious virus.”
The NC DHHS reported Orange County had 104 positive cases of COVID-19, six more than Thursday.
Durham County reported 18 new cases, bringing its total to 263.
Mecklenburg County tops the state in cases: 913 cases with 12 deaths. Friday night, Mecklenburg health officials reported two cases of coronavirus in children “less than a year old,” The Charlotte Observer reported. Their conditions weren’t released.
Both Wake and Durham counties say they will spend millions of dollars to help their homeless populations, who are highly susceptible to contracting the disease, the News & Observer reported.
Johnston County reported 91 cases Friday, 14 more than what was reported Thursday. Johnston County also has a long-term care facility experiencing a fast-moving outbreak. Springbrook Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Clayton reported 36 cases — 27 residents and 11 staff members, according to the Johnston County Health Department.
Demographic data
Johnston County released statistics that show at least 27% of the 91 cases are African American. The race of 27 cases is either unknown, or pending update. Only 15.6% of Johnston County’s population is African American.
The numbers follow nationwide trends showing African Americans are diagnosed with COVID-19 at a disproportionately higher rate than other races.
North Carolina’s case breakdown is 55% white, 39% black, 9% Hispanic, 2% Asian and 4% labeled as “other.”
Wake, Durham and Orange counties do not break down their data by race.
North Carolina is preparing for tighter guidelines on social distancing, which take effect Monday at 5 p.m. under a new order from Gov. Roy Cooper. A violation of the new order may be prosecuted as a Class 2 misdemeanor, subject to up to 60 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Retail stores may only admit 20 percent of the customers allowable under the local fire code — or five people per 1,000 square feet.
The order also includes new mandatory requirements for long-term care facilities. They include stopping group meals and activities; screening employees before they enter the building; and increasing the monitoring of residents’ temperatures.
This story was originally published April 10, 2020 at 7:53 PM with the headline "North Carolina hits 4,000 COVID-19 cases as long-term care facilities experience outbreaks."
