The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released updated coronavirus case numbers on Monday.
Health officials say that the state has 6,764 confirmed cases and 179 coronavirus related deaths.
Statewide, 79,484 have been tested and 373 people are currently being hospitalized. These cases affect 93 North Carolina counties.
Albemarle Regional Health Services reported case numbers on Monday. Lab confirmed positive cases across the Albemarle Regional Health Services region include:
- Pasquotank County – 32 lab confirmed cases - 18 active and 14 recovered
- Perquimans County – 8 lab confirmed cases – 6 active and 2 recovered
- Camden County – 0 cases
- Chowan County – 6 lab confirmed cases - 4 active and 2 recovered
- Currituck County – 2 lab confirmed cases - 0 active and 2 recovered
- Bertie County – 25 lab confirmed cases - 10 active, 14 recovered, and 1 death
- Gates County – 4 lab confirmed cases - 0 active and 4 recovered
- Hertford County – 8 lab confirmed cases - 5 active, 2 recovered, and 1 death -more-
Over the weekend, officials say there was an increase in lab confirmed positive cases region wide, especially in Pasquotank County. The cases in Pasquotank resulted from inmates being transferred from the Neuse Correctional Institution to the Pasquotank Correctional Institution prior to April 7, reports say.
Albemarle Regional Health Services says they're working with partners at a long term care facility in Bertie County and officials at Rivers Correctional Institution in Hertford County to manage two additional local outbreaks. An outbreak is defined as two or more cases in a facility. When an outbreak is identified, additional contact tracing and testing is required in order to manage exposures and ensure proper steps are taken to protect both staff and residents. This usually helps identify additional cases more quickly, including asymptomatic cases.
The North Carolina Division of Public Health says they have prioritized testing in congregate care facilities in order to quickly mobilize resources and actions to limit additional spread.
“As public health continues to actively investigate these cases, and as we identify cases in congregate care facilities and as testing becomes more widely available, we expect our positive lab confirmed cases of COVID-19 to increase,” said R. Battle Betts, Jr., MPA, Health Director. “Based on statewide, regional, and local trends, we do anticipate that we are slightly behind other areas and that we will continue to see a rise in cases over the next couple of weeks which means it is important for us all to continue to take all precautions to mitigate the spread including staying at home, social distancing, and practicing good hand hygiene and sanitation.”
Agencies affiliated with outbreaks in Pasquotank, Bertie, and Hertford counties are said to all be working closely with ARHS communicable disease staff and following local and state guidance. Individuals are isolated and their symptoms are being monitored.
“Mitigation strategies aimed to slow the spread of COVID-19 which include; social distancing, staying home when you are sick, and hand washing will continue to work in concert with containment strategies. These strategies aim to minimize the risk of transmission from infected to non-infected individuals in order to stop the outbreak,” states Betts.
