NC COVID-19 Update: Positivity Rate Drops To 7.2 Percent

NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina reported 5,495 new coronavirus cases Thursday, increasing the total of known cases in the state to nearly 782,000, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

The state's percent of positive tests Thursday was 7.2 percent, down from 10.2 percent reported Tuesday.

"Cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina have been trending downward since the second week of January," DHHS said Wednesday.

As of Feb. 4, at least 9,728 state residents had lost their lives to the virus since March.

Hospitalization numbers continue to fall throughout the state, with 2,630 patients in state hospitals as of Feb. 4. One week ago, there were 3,238 patients in North Carolina hospitals seeking medical care for coronavirus related illness, according to DHHS data.

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As of Thursday, about 16 percent of the state's staffed intensive care unit beds and about 23 percent of its staffed inpatient beds remained empty in the state, according to DHHS data.

Vaccination efforts throughout the state continue, with more than 1 million shots administered, according to state data. As of Feb. 3, North Carolina had administered 92 percent of its federal supply of first doses and about 44 percent of the second doses on hand, DHHS said.

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