RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN/WAVY) — A data glitch led to a record number of new COVID-19 cases — nearly 45,000 of them — reported Thursday across North Carolina.
The state Department of Health and Human Services added 44,833 new cases to the quickly growing total with a disclaimer: Nearly 11,000 of those should have been recorded earlier this month.
As the omicron-driven wave continues, NCDHHS also reported a record number of patients in hospitals for the second straight day, with almost 4,300, and more than 30 percent of the most recent batch of tests confirming new cases.
NCDHHS also added its largest one-day increase in deaths since October, with those 87 pushing the total to 19,850 — just 150 shy of the 20,000 milestone.
The record case numbers we’ve seen routinely this month during the omicron surge actually turned out to be undercounted: NCDHHS says 10,791 new cases confirmed by the GENETWORx lab were not counted as they should have been between New Year’s Eve and Tuesday.
Nevertheless, it’s the sixth time this month that a single-day record was established, shattering the previous record of 29,069 set Saturday, and pushing the seven-day average to yet another record level.
The state averaged 26,812 new cases a day over the past week, reaching a record high for the 14th day in a row.
The patient count, which hit 4,000 for the first time Wednesday, continued its climb by surging to 4,275 following a daily increase of 177. The state has added more than 2,500 COVID patients to its hospitals in the past 2 1/2 weeks.
A spokesperson for NCDHHS sent 10 On Your Side the following statement:
“We expect North Carolina to continue to follow similar Omicron-surge trends as other parts of the world and U.S., where they are still seeing increasing cases; though places that experienced earlier surges are starting to see their cases increase less rapidly. We hope to see that trend in North Carolina in the coming weeks, but we have not reached the peak of Omicron in North Carolina.”
VACCINE DOSE COUNT
- 5,158 first doses
- 3,993 second doses
- 231 single-shot J&J doses
- 20,760 booster doses
- 30,142 total doses
Local counties metrics:
- Gates 1,395 – 18 deaths
- Bertie 3,290 – 56 deaths
- Camden 1,458 – 9 deaths
- Chowan 3,118 – 45 deaths
- Currituck 3,708 – 30 deaths
- Dare 5,601 – 18 deaths
- Hertford 3,815 – 77 deaths
- Pasquotank 6,853 – 111 deaths
- Perquimans 2,133 – 17 deaths
North Carolinians who have not been fully vaccinated or are eligible for booster doses, can visit covid19.ncdhhs.gov/vaccines or call the NC COVID-19 Vaccine Help Center at 888-675-4567 to find nearby vaccination clinics.
Those seeking to find or schedule a testing appointment can visit covid19.ncdhhs.gov/about-covid-19/testing/.
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