North Carolina coronavirus hospitalizations set record; spike linked to reopening

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina covid-19 hospitalizations again set a record Saturday as testing surpassed 600,000.

The number of those in the state hospitalized for covid-19 jumped by 63 to 823, which tops the record of 812 set Thursday, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said.

DHHS reported Saturday an additional 1,427 covid-19 cases and 12 new related deaths.

At least 42,676 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 1,104 have died.

The number of completed covid-19 tests increased by 15,993 Saturday to 611,690.

The percentage of positive cases remained at 10% Friday, the latest figure available.

The News & Observer is keeping a separate count of cases and deaths based on totals from the state and county health departments. Those numbers, which tend to be higher because the state updates its numbers once a day, showed 42,844 cases and 1,127 deaths early Saturday afternoon.

State public health officials track coronavirus spread through metrics that include hospitalizations, the number of new cases and the percentage of people who tested positive.

Hospitalizations across the state continue to increase. In the week that ended June 7, the number of people hospitalized with covid-19 symptoms ranged between 650 and 717.

This week, it ranged between 739 and 823.

As testing increases across the state, more positive cases are expected. The highest single day increase was reported Friday, with 1,768 new cases.

Looking at the percentage of positive cases highlights whether the overall positive rate is increasing or decreasing.

Percentage of positive cases in June have hovered between 8% and 10%.

North Carolina’s rate remains among the highest in the country, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, DHHS secretary, on Friday. Cohen wants it to drop closer to 5%.

The disease is growing through communal spread, she said, and linked the increase to the past two to three weeks.

“It’s very much linked to when we started reopening,” she said.

North Carolina began its first phase of reopening May 8. The second phase started May 22.