NC Coronavirus Update: Death Toll Now At 46, At Least 3,221 Cases

Kimberly Johnson
Updated ·6 min read

NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina now has at least 3,221 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus, which is blamed for at least 46 deaths, state health officials said Tuesday morning in their daily update. The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is now documented in 90 out of 100 counties throughout the state and has resulted in 354 hospitalizations.

North Carolina's COVID-19 hotspot, Mecklenburg County, reported 810 cases as of Tuesday morning and six COVID-19 related deaths. Wake County reported 336 cases and Durham County 205 cases.

The cases tracked by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services include those that have been confirmed in a laboratory, and leave out a larger group of people, such as those with minimal or mild symptoms who were not tested, those who had symptoms but didn't seek medical care, those who sought medical care but were not tested and those with COVID-19 in whom the virus was not detected by testing.

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The age group with the most coronavirus cases is 25 to 49 year olds with 42 percent of all cases, followed by 50 to 64 year olds with 29 percent of the cases and those 65 and older make up 20 percent of patients, NC DHHS said Tuesday morning.

Monday, a group of epidemiologists presented a study to NC DHHS warning that without an extension of social distancing policies currently set to expire at the end of the month, North Carolina hospitals will face an increased likelihood that their ability to provide acute care needed for novel coronavirus patients will be outstripped, perhaps as soon as Memorial Day.

SEE ALSO: NC Coronavirus: New Report Predicts Impact On State Hospitals

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper ordered all of the state to "stay at home" beginning March 30. The mandatory order is valid for 30 days and set to expire April 29, however it could be revised or extended.

The group of scientists from Duke University and University of North Carolina created a "weather forecasting" modeling approach to create composite predictions to estimate hospital bed shortages amid the current COVID-19 outbreak. Should the governor's current executive order be allowed to expire and social distancing is lifted, North Carolina could see as many as 750,000 cases by June 1, they said.

"What we know works to flatten the curve is social distancing," Kimberly Powers, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said Monday. Policy is one piece of it but getting the buy in from the community is a very important component, she added.

Two area Amazon workers at warehouse facilities in Concord and Charlotte have tested positive for coronavirus, according to The Charlotte Observer.

"We are following guidelines from health officials and medical experts, and are taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our site," an Amazon spokesperson said, adding that the company is introducing a number of workplace preventative health measures to help protect employees.

The number of North Carolina residents applying for first-time unemployment benefits was 170,881 for the week ended March 28, up nearly twofold from the prior week's record-breaking number of 94,083. That's an 82 percent increase in jobless claims as the effort to stop the spread of the new coronavirus shuts down many businesses in the state.

Last week, Cooper announced a new executive order that will prevent utility companies from shutting off service to customers for nonpayment for the next 60 days. The announcement comes as state residents continue to reel from the impacts of recent policies related to slowing the spread of COVID-19.

Under the new order announced Tuesday, utilities that provide water, gas, sewer, electricity and wastewater services are prohibited from disconnecting service due to lack of payment during the 60-day period, which Cooper said could be extended. While the order does not target phone, cable and internet providers, those companies are also "strongly urged to follow these same rules," Cooper said.

The order directs utility companies to give customers at least six months to pay outstanding bills without interest. It also encourages the delay of evictions and for banks to not charge overdraft fees.

"This action is particularly important since tomorrow is the first of the month, and I know that's a date many families fear when they can't make ends meet," Cooper said. "These protections will help families stay in their homes and keep vital services like electricity, water, and communications going as we Stay at Home."

The new executive order is one of many issued by Cooper in the past month. Cooper declared a state of emergency for the entire state March 10. Public schools throughout the state have been ordered closed through at least May 15. In addition, Cooper ordered a statewide ban on all dine-in service at restaurants and bars. As of Monday evening, all of North Carolina was under a 30-day "stay-at-home" order, which means residents are directed to stay in their homes unless they need to leave for essential activities, such as for jobs, food, medicine, outdoor exercise or to help others.

The order also bans gatherings of more than 10 people, and its directs residents stay at least six feet from each other. Essential services will be allowed to remain open.
State officials are targeting scammers and price gouging, according to North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein.

As of March 31, the state had received 755 complaints of price gouging in the state, and each one will be reviewed, he said.

"We're working hard to raise awareness of scams relating to coronavirus, particularly those using robocalls," Stein said. "While the vast majority of folks in NC are rising to the occasion to help others, there are a few heartless criminals trying to exploit people's fears."

In an attempt to provide as much information to our readers as possible, Patch is publishing a county-by-county breakdown of the coronavirus cases in 90 of North Carolina's 100 counties, along with the number of cases by county and the number of deaths:

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This article originally appeared on the Charlotte Patch