North Carolina Reports New Peak In COVID-19 Hospitalizations

Kimberly Johnson
Updated ·3 min read

CHARLOTTE, NC — North Carolina reported 3,688 new COVID-19 cases Friday, as hospitalizations rose to a new statewide high. As of Nov. 20, at least 1,571 patients were hospitalized for coronavirus-related illness, according to state public health officials.

At least 56 counties in North Carolina, including Mecklenburg, Gaston, Lincoln, Catawba, Iredell, Rowan and Cabarrus counties in the Charlotte metro, are at a "tipping point" and should revert to stay-at-home orders to curb the spread of COVID-19, according to Harvard Global Health Institute.

The university's COVID Risk Level map shows the severity of coronavirus outbreak on the county level, and offers broad guidance about what is needed to contain it. Counties are considered to be at a "red level" — or tipping point where stay-at-home orders are necessary — when they report 25 or more cases per 100,000 people, it said.

North Carolina's COVID-19 death toll also increased, up 43 since Thursday, raising the total to 4,979 lives lost to the virus, according to data released by the state's Department of Health and Human Services.

As of Friday, the percentage of positive tests in North Carolina was 8.3 percent, DHHS said.

Uptick in the spread of coronavirus throughout the state has prompted urgent warning from state public health officials, urging residents to forego holiday travel and to stay vigilant with precautions, such as wearing masks, frequent hand washing and social distancing.

"I am very concerned," DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen said in a statement Thursday. "We are seeing warning signs in our trends that we need to heed to keep our family and friends from getting sick and ensuring our hospitals are able to care for those that have serious illness."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a nationwide advisory urging anyone considering travel for Thanksgiving to reconsider.

The federal agency issued a stark warning to Americans during a Thursday news conference, according to a report by The Washington Post: If you travel and choose to spend the holidays with friends and families, you could inadvertently bring the coronavirus home with you.

"What's at stake is basically the increased chance of one of your loved ones becoming sick and then being hospitalized and dying," Henry Walke, the CDC's COVID-19 incident manager, said during the briefing.

SEE ALSO: CDC Advises No Thanksgiving Travel Amid Coronavirus Spikes

Last week, in a bid to curb the increasing transmission of coronavirus throughout the state, Gov. Roy Cooper announced a new executive order clamping down on indoor gatherings, reducing the limit from 25 to 10. The new executive order, which went into effect Friday, is set to remain in place through Friday, Dec. 4.

Globally, more than 57.3million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 1.3 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Friday. In the United States, more than 11.8 million people have been infected and more than 253,000 people have died from COVID-19.

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This article originally appeared on the Charlotte Patch