NC COVID-19 Confirmations Spike, Record Day Of Hospitalizations

CHARLOTTE, NC — Confirmations of novel coronavirus jumped by 2,039 cases Thursday, marking the second highest increase reported in a day in North Carolina as the state also set a new record high for patients in need of hospital treatment for COVID-19 illness.

The state's death COVID-19 death toll rose to 1,461 Thursday, an increase of 20 lives lost to the virus since Wednesday, according to data released by the state's Department of Health and Human Services.

The newly confirmed COVID-19 cases increases the number of known cases in North Carolina to more than 79,000 lab-confirmed cases. As of Thursday, 1,034 patients were in state hospitals for treatment, 40 more than reported Wednesday, DHHS said.

The data also points to an area of growing concern in the state that has not yet defined how schools will reopen next month — a decision North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said should be announced by next week. As of Thursday, at least 79 confirmed cases in North Carolina are associated with clusters reported at schools and child care centers.

SEE ALSO: Readers Say Too Soon For NC Schools To Safely Reopen: Survey

The increase in hospitalizations means that about four out of every five inpatient hospital bed is filled, according to DHHS data. A state survey of about 86 percent of North Carolina hospitals found that capacity remained available throughout the state Thursday, with abut 4,000 inpatient hospital beds and almost 500 staffed intensive care unit beds remaining available.

Ventilator readiness remained stable with 74 percent — or about 2,502 — of the state's supply available for use.

Hospital capacity, however, can vary regionally, DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen said during a news conference Tuesday. "One of the places we're watching closely is the Charlotte area, in terms of hospital capacity. That is a place where we've seen higher rates of hospitalizations," she said.

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DHHS said it estimated 55,318 patients were presumed recovered from symptoms as of July 6. The agency said it "estimates a median time to recovery of 14 days from the date of specimen collection for non-fatal COVID-19 cases who were not hospitalized, or if hospitalization status is unknown."

Globally, more than 12 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 560,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Thursday. In the United States, more than 3 million people have been infected and more than 132,000 people have died from COVID-19.

SEE ALSO:

• Mecklenburg Commissioners Approve Stricter Mask Mandate
• No Doctor's Referral Needed Now For COVID-19 Testing In NC
• No Decision On School Openings As NC Sees Record COVID-19 Jump