RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The final count of COVID-19 cases in North Carolina: 3,501,404.

One day before the federal government formally ends the COVID-19 emergency, state public health officials said the weekly update to the state’s case and death counts posted online Wednesday would be their last.

The agency said doctors and labs are no longer required to report COVID-19 cases to the Department of Health and Human Services. 

And case counts have become less reliable because so many people who test at home are unable to report their results to health officials.

A screenshot of the NCDHHS COVID-19 dashboard indicates Wednesday, May 10 will be the last day the agency will update cases and deaths. (Photo credit: NCDHHS)

The White House said the public health emergency will end Thursday.

NCDHHS will keep updating hospital admissions, emergency room visits and how many viral particles show up in wastewater. The state reported slight increases in hospital admissions and viral counts in sewage, and an even more slight drop in COVID-related ER visits.

The final weekly case count — that covered April 30-May 6 — included 2,173 cases, a drop of 137 from the previous week. Those case counts dropped every week of 2023.

Furthermore, the state said 197 patients were admitted to hospitals last week, 17 more than were admitted the week before in the first week-over-week increase since early January.

NCDHHS reached another milestone with its 29,000th COVID-19 death, too. The state added 73 deaths to the total, which climbed to 29,059.