RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continue to climb as the total of number reached 3,426 on Wednesday, April 8, according to the the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS.) That’s an increase of 205 cases since Tuesday.
A total of 53 deaths are being blamed on the virus, NCDHHS said.
Gov. Roy Cooper and members of the Coronavirus Task held a briefing on COVID-19 Wednesday afternoon, during which Cooper announced that Orange County is a hot spot of COVID-19 activity. Orange County is just west of Durham. There are at least 60 cases at a long-term care facility there. Of those, seven are hospitalized and two have died.
Cooper said we must take immediate action to stop the spread of COVID-19 in this facility and others.
NCDHHS has begun adding data on long-term care facilities to its public dashboard. There is now a section in the data titled Congregate Living.
Cooper reiterated the importance of following the state’s Stay at Home Order. “Going out for a non-essential reason may feel harmless to you if you’re not having symptoms, but if you have the virus, you could set off a chain reaction unknowingly by passing the virus off to even just a handful of people. They will pass it on to more people,” said Cooper.
While the number of completed COVID-19 tests has leveled out in the last four days, the number of deaths and hospitalizations continues to increase.
No one under the age of 25 has died from the virus in the state. 79% of COVID-19-related deaths are patients 65 and older.
The number of patients hospitalized reached 386 on Wednesday – up more than 100 since Sunday.
COVID-19 patients are spread across 90 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, NCDHHS said.
Here is the breakdown on the number of cases in local counties:
- Currituck – 3
- Dare – 7**
- Pasquotank – 10
- Gates – 3
- Perquimans – 2
- Chowan – 1
- Hertford – 4 (1 death)
- Bertie – 10 (1 death)
(** Dare County reports 10 positive cases )
Also on Wednesday, Gov. Roy Cooper announced that FEMA has approved his request to provide housing alternatives, such as hotels, motels, and dormitories, for North Carolinians who don’t have stable housing and need to self-isolate.
On Tuesday, Gov. Cooper said there will be new executive orders aimed at limiting the number of customers inside essential retailers and providing child care assistance to certain workers. Those executive orders could be signed by the end of the week.
This story will be updated.
