North Carolina sets another one-day high in reported coronavirus hospitalizations
North Carolina continues to have more than 800 people hospitalized with the coronavirus and continues to set one-day highs, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services reported Thursday.
The state had 857 reported hospitalizations from COVID-19, the DHHS said. That was an increase from the 846 people reported to be in hospitals on Wednesday, which was a one-day high since the pandemic reached North Carolina in early March.
The state reported Thursday that 1,175 people have died from COVID-18, eight more than the DHHS reported Wednesday.
There also was an uptick in the number of positive confirmed cases reported with 1,133 on Thursday. There were 21,270 completed tests for the virus in the reporting period, with a 9% positive rate for COVID-19.
There now have been 48,188 reported cases of coronavirus and 693,678 tests done in the state, which has a population of about 10.5 million people.
In Wake County, there have been 3,385 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 43 deaths. That was an increase of 144 new cases -- but no additional deaths -- in the 24-hour reporting period.
Face masks to slow coronavirus spread
On Wednesday, Raleigh mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin announced that beginning Friday at 4 p.m. everyone in the city will be required to wear a face covering that goes over the mouth and nose whenever they are “in contact with other people who are not household members in public or private spaces where it is not possible to maintain social distance or where recommended social distancing practices are not being followed.”
Raleigh and Knightdale are the Wake County towns with a face-covering requirement — they’re also required in Durham and Orange counties. The Raleigh proclamation lists places such as grocery stores, businesses, parking lots, sidewalks and pharmacies.
In the order, law enforcement officers are “strongly encouraged to educate and encourage voluntary compliance.” Baldwin said in a press conference Wednesday residents who don’t wear a mask won’t be fined or arrested. She sees this as an opportunity to “educate the public.”
Dr. Mandy Cohen, in a video interview this week with Winston-Salem State chancellor Elwood L. Robinson, called face coverings annoying but also “incredibly important.”
“We don’t have a lot of tools here to fight this virus, particularly a lot of tools that are inexpensive,” Cohen said in WSSU’s “Future Focus NOW” interview. “Testing, tracing, all those things are expensive tools. One of least expensive tools, and I know it’s annoying, is face coverings. The data is becoming stronger and stronger with each passing day and there are more published studies about the importance of face coverings.
“COVID-19 can be spread well before you have symptoms. You can feel perfectly well for many days but be contagious and be spreading COVID. That’s where the face covering comes in. If everybody does it ...”
Hospitalizations in NC
Cohen also touched on the hospitalization issue in the interview with Robinson, saying, “The goal is to keep the spread low enough that we don’t overwhelm our healthcare system. When people get sick, and they get sick all at the same time, that’s when we have the problem. No one wants to overwhelm our healthcare system. No one wants to devastate our economy permanently. So we all want to find that middle ground.”
One-fifth of the hospital beds and 22% of intensive care unit beds are available in North Carolina, health officials said Thursday, with 88% of hospitals reporting data.
Gov. Roy Cooper said Monday the state continues to monitor hospital bed availability. There are enough beds now, Cooper said, but added that could quickly change.
The demographic data assembled by DHHS underscores what has been said by health officials about the effects of the virus on older and more vulnerable populations.
Of the confirmed positive cases reported in the state, 65 percent have been for those age 49 or younger. Of the deaths reported, 95 percent have been for those 50 and older.
The most recent DHHS congregate living report, released Tuesday, showed there have been 605 deaths in nursing homes and 99 in residential care facilities.
State officials announced Monday that 29,219 patients are “presumed to be recovered” from COVID-19. DHHS updates that total once a week.
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 12:37 PM with the headline "North Carolina sets another one-day high in reported coronavirus hospitalizations."
