NC COVID-19 Hospitalizations Dip As 1.3K New Cases Confirmed

CHARLOTTE, NC — North Carolina confirmed 1,342 new coronavirus cases and three deaths from COVID-19 illness, state public health officials said Monday. In total, the state has suffered 1,325 deaths due to the respiratory disease.

The state reported 63,484 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in labs around the state, according to the latest data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. To date, 886,305 tests have been completed.

The numbers of actual cases of COVID-19 are likely much higher, according to one federal public health official. Actual COVID-19 rates are likely 10 times higher than the number of confirmed cases, Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

Hospitalizations dropped by 47 Monday, to 843 patients. Since Thursday the state's COVID-19 death count rose by 35, for a total of 1,325 lives lost to the virus.

Hospital capacity remains available throughout the state, with about three out of every four intensive care unit hospital beds occupied. That's according to a DHHS survey of about 75 percent of the state's hospitals, which showed 29 percent of inpatient hospital beds were available Monday. Intensive care unit beds also showed 24 percent remaining available. Ventilator readiness was the same as reported late last week with 26 percent of the state's supply reportedly in use.

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On Wednesday Gov. Roy Cooper announced a slow down of reopening the state and a new mandate requiring face coverings in public. Cooper called off the state progressing into the phase — Phase 3 — of reopening for at least three weeks. Phase 2 was originally set to expire Friday, June 26. The extension of Phase 2 will last until at least July 17.

"This is not where we planned to be, or wanted to be," he said at a news conference, calling the numbers "a stark warning."

Under the new mandate, face coverings will be required in public spaces, both indoor and outdoor, when socially distancing is difficult. The mandate also extends to employees and customers of retail businesses and restaurants. Workers in construction, meat processing, manufacturing and agricultural settings will also be required to wear face coverings.

There are some exceptions to the mandate. Those exempt are children under 11, those with medical conditions, people at home and those exercising outside, he said.

SEE ALSO:

• Masks Mandatory In NC, Phase 3 Reopening Delayed: Cooper
• Mask Survey: 3 Out of 4 Say Masks Needed In NC COVID-19 Fight

A recent informal survey of Patch 1,160 readers last week found that a majority support the use of face coverings as a collective means to slow the spread of coronavirus in North Carolina, and that mask use — or the lack thereof — is affecting personal decisions about where to spend money and how to socialize.

As of Monday, nine percent of all tests in North Carolina were positive. The World Health Organization recommends that governments have a percent positive rate of 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days before reopening.

Globally, almost 10.2 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 502,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Monday. In the United States, nearly 2.6 million people have been infected and nearly 126,000 people have died from COVID-19.