NC Coronavirus Update: More Than 300 Dead As Cases Rise

NORTH CAROLINA — Novel coronavirus has claimed the lives of at least 306 residents of North Carolina, state public health officials said Monday morning. The state has confirmed at least 9,142 people have tested positive for the new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, an increase in 312 cases since Sunday.

Also up are hospitalizations, which rose to 473 by Monday, 22 more than reported Sunday, NC Department of Health and Human Services said.

The new batch of data released April 27 by state public health officials shows that laboratories in the state have completed at least 109,920 tests.

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The number of outbreaks confirmed in congregate living facilities in the state, such as nursing homes and residential care facilities, continues to rise as deaths reported in these facilities claim about half — 51 percent — of the state's death toll.

As of Monday, at least 2,517 people have tested positive at North Carolina congregate living facilities as COVID-19 outbreaks were reported in 47 nursing homes, 19 residential care facilities and at least 13 correctional facilities, NC DHHS said.

According to NC DHHS, a survey of about 80 percent of the state's hospitals shows that 669 of the available 2,978 ventilators in North Carolina are in use as of Monday. That represents nearly 22 percent of the state's ventilators are currently in use. When it comes to intensive care unit beds, 893 beds, or about 28 percent, of 3,223 beds are filled.

Globally, nearly 2.99 million have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 207,000 people have lost their lives, Johns Hopkins University reported Monday morning. In the U.S., at least 54,931 people have died from COVID-19.

In an attempt to provide as much information to our readers as possible, Patch is publishing a county-by-county breakdown of the coronavirus cases reported in 95 of North Carolina's 100 counties, along with the number of cases by county and the number of deaths:

Two employees at separate Charlotte metro United States Post Office distribution centers have tested positive for new coronavirus, the U.S. Postal Service has confirmed, according to reports.

According to WCNC, one employee was based at the USPS distribution center located on Scott Futrell Drive, and the second worker at a facility on West Pointe Drive.

The risk to other workers at the facilities is low, USPS officials said, according to the station.

All North Carolina schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year, Gov. Roy Cooper said Friday. The announcement, which Cooper called a "tough choice," comes one day following the extension of the statewide stay-at-home order, put in place last month to slow the spread of new coronavirus, until May 8.

North Carolina public schools have been closed since March 16 and were not scheduled to reopen before May 15.

"We don't make this decision lightly, but it's important to protect the health of students and our school staff," Cooper said at a news conference Friday.

SEE ALSO: Coronavirus Stay-At-Home Order Extended In North Carolina

"When we closed schools to in person instruction, we knew it would be difficult for a lot of students," such as those who lacked high-speed internet for remote learning, Cooper said.

Cooper announced two corporate partnerships aimed at bridging the digital divide for students. AT&T is providing 100 hotspots to be deployed on school buses to help students with home internet access. The Duke Energy Foundation has also agreed to provide 80 school bus hotspots, he said.

Cooper's announcement regarding schools was made one day after he announced an extension of a statewide stay-at-home order until May 8 with the future gradual reopening of the state determined by what happens in the coming weeks.

"After thorough analysis, it's clear that we are flattening the curve, but our state is not ready to lift restrictions yet," he said.

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