NC coronavirus cases surge past 700, death count rises as more stay-at-home orders going into effect

North Carolina entered a new phase Thursday in its response to the threat from coronavirus, with health officials instructing residents to stay home to prevent catching the illness, and to remain home even if they become ill unless their symptoms are severe.

North Carolina’s reported COVID-19 cases continued to rise Thursday as state officials announced 715 people have been infected with coronavirus. Durham County announced Thursday evening it had nine new cases of illness, bringing its total to 93.

Thursday was the third consecutive day the state’s case totals have increased by 100 or more.

The state also reported 2,421 tests have been completed since Wednesday, bringing Thursday’s total to 12,910.

The state also reported the death of a Harnett County patient, aged in the late 30s, from COVID-19. The patient also suffered from an underlying medical condition.

Two North Carolina residents have died due to the coronavirus. Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday a Cabarrus County patient in their late 70s, with several underlying medical conditions, died on Tuesday.

A third person, a Virginia resident traveling in North Carolina, also died here, Cooper said.

The nationwide death total surpassed 1,000 on Wednesday. As of Thursday evening, the U.S. had the most reported cases of coronavirus of illness of any country in the world, including China and Italy, according to The New York Times.

N.C. DHHS issued an advisory Thursday saying, “For people who think they might have COVID-19 and have mild symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends they stay home and call their doctor for medical advice. Most people who get COVID-19 will have mild illness and recover at home.”

The advisory links to a new fact sheet to help North Carolinians know what to do if they are sick.

“I’ve talked to doctors across the state and they have been heroic in standing up a variety of strategies to increase access to safe care for their patients,” Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, state health director and chief medical officer for NCDHHS, said in the advisory. “Just as they do every day of the year, doctors are guided first and foremost by what is best for their patients’ well-being.”

State coronavirus totals don’t reflect disease’s full spread

In an online media briefing Thursday afternoon, Tilson said the state is monitoring the availability of regular and intensive-care hospital beds. With 75% of hospitals reporting, Tilson said, about half of the regular beds across the state are empty and more than 18% of ICU beds are empty. Those numbers don’t include “surge” beds that would be made available in the case of a sudden rise in the need for hospitalization.

While DHHS updates its case and death totals only once per day, The News & Observer is updating the total in real time by gathering information from both state officials and county health departments. According to that reporting, North Carolina has seen 729 cases as of Thursday evening.

But even these totals don’t reflect the virus’ full spread in North Carolina. State officials are limiting testing to only patients whose symptoms are severe enough for them to been seen by a medical professional. Patients with mild symptoms are estimated to be 80% of those infected.

DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen said Tuesday she expected cases to be reported in all 100 of the state’s counties within a week.

State officials said Thursday the advice not to go to a doctor’s office is based on several facts: if they don’t have they illness, people could be exposed by going out; if they do have it, they could expose someone else, including health care providers who will be needed to care for those who become severely ill; there is presently no treatment for COVID-19, so getting tested would not change the treatment for mild symptoms; and a nationwide shortage of protective equipment and medical supplies requires conservation of those items to care for the sickest people.

“Testing is most important for people who are seriously ill, in the hospital, people in high-risk settings like nursing homes or long-term care facilities, health care workers and other first-responders who are caring for those with COVID-19,” the state’s advisory said.

Stay-at-home orders across NC

Efforts to slow the virus’ spread include nearly a dozen counties and municipalities across the state issuing stay-at-home orders. Mecklenburg County’s order, the state’s most populous county which includes the city of Charlotte, went into effect at 8 a.m. Thursday. Durham, which announced nine new cases Thursday, Greensboro and Winston-Salem are among other N.C. municipalities with similar orders in place.

Orange County announced its stay-at-home order on Thursday morning. Wake County announced a similar plan Thursday afternoon and as of Thursday evening said it has 105 known cases of illness, up 14 from Wednesday night.

Under the orders, people can come and go from jobs at businesses that remain open and can shop for essential items, The News & Observer has reported. Further travel is discouraged, and areas of the state that attract tourists have taken additional measures to keep outsiders from coming. Besides closing beaches, parks and other amenities, some coastal and mountain communities have ordered a halt to short-term rentals until early to mid-April.

The Town of Banner Elk announced that Avery County officials, for example, have ordered that all lodging, including Airbnb’s, campgrounds, timeshare units, condos, and motels stop making rentals of less than a month. Similar closings have been ordered in several beach communities. The county said exceptions would be made for work-related stays, emergency facilities and homeless shelters.

Many working from home

Many will continue to work through stay-at-home orders. Tanya Golson, who owns Raleigh based Abundance Ink Notary Service, said her business has dropped by about half since COVID-19 began to spread. But for those who need them, she said, her mobile notary and loan-signing services are a godsend.

With the Federal Reserve’s recent drop in interest rates, homeowners have been refinancing their loans, and some shoppers have been prompted to take the plunge and buy new homes.

She also has had a number of requests to notarize legal documents such as wills and powers-of-attorney, she said in a telephone interview with The News & Observer.

“I have had people say they needed to have things in place because of the health scare,” Golson said. “This illness is very serious and I’m sure people have loved ones that they want to be sure things are in place for. They look at wills, and funeral arrangements, and they want to have those taken care of.”

Golson said she takes extra precautions to stay healthy, wearing gloves and a mask and making sure to stay a safe distance from clients while also meeting the legal requirements regarding such things as lines of sight. Though courthouses are closed for in-person business, Golson said industry practices have long been to file many legal documents by overnight delivery.

Some essential services strained

Food banks also are considered essential services, and on Thursday, Nation Hahn, chief growth officer of the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle in Raleigh, said the stay-at-home order would make it more difficult for that organization to meet clients’ needs.

If they can’t travel, people who normally would bring donations of non-perishable items for the Food Shuttle to redistribute don’t come. That forces the agency to have to buy food, straining its budget at a time when it says it expects needs to skyrocket as families find themselves with reduced incomes because businesses are closed or curtailed.

The Food Shuttle has received donations from some 1,200 people over the past two weeks, it said, asked Thursday for additional gifts of non-perishable items as well as cash. Donations can be made at www.FoodShuttle.org/Donate, or delivered to Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, 1001 Blair Drive, Raleigh, NC 27603, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.. Pick-ups can be arranged by calling 919-418-5718.

Staff writers Jonathan Alexander and Anna Johnson contributed to this report.

This is a developing story and will be updated.