Saturday’s COVID-19 numbers: State breaks records for new cases and hospitalizations; Guilford County death toll now at 125 | Local News
North Carolina saw a record-breaking one-day increase of 2,462 COVID-19 cases as well as a record for hospitalizations on Saturday, state data show.
“Record-high numbers like today are concerning,” state health secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said in a news release. “We all have a responsibility to one another to wear a face covering, avoid crowds and wash our hands often to get our trends going back in the right direction.”
Here’s the latest on COVID-19 in the Triad, North Carolina and the United States:
Number of N.C. cases: 83,793 as of noon Saturday, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. That’s a one-day increase of a record-breaking 2,462 new confirmed infections since Friday. The previous one-day high was 2,099 new cases reported on July 3. The state conducted 22,001 tests on Saturday, bringing the overall testing total to 1,176,058. Ten percent of tests were positive on Thursday, the latest data available. On Monday, the state reported 55,318 residents are presumed to have recovered from symptoms. The number of recoveries will be updated by the state each Monday afternoon.
In Guilford County: There are two different official counts of Guilford County’s COVID-19 numbers:
• According to state health officials, Guilford County has recorded 3,495 cases of COVID-19 and 125 related deaths as of Saturday’s report. These numbers represent an increase of 55 new cases and two new deaths since Friday.
• As of 3 p.m. Friday, the Guilford County Department of Public Health said it has been notified of 3,403 cumulative cases of COVID-19 and verified 120 deaths. These numbers represent an increase of 42 new cases since Thursday and one fewer death. Since early March, the health department said 386 Guilford County residents have been hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19 and 1,852 people have recovered from the illness.
In the Triad: The number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in counties surrounding Guilford continues to rise. As of Saturday, according to state health officials, Alamance County has reported 1,401 total cases of COVID-19 and 37 deaths since the outbreak began, Davidson County has had 1,228 cases and 15 deaths, Forsyth County has had 3,622 cases and 39 deaths, Randolph County has had 1,443 cases and 32 deaths, and Rockingham County has had 292 cases and two deaths.
N.C. deaths: 1,499 statewide as of Saturday, according to state health officials. That’s a one-day increase of 20 new deaths.
N.C. hospitalizations: State health officials said 1,093 people are currently hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19 with 88% of hospitals reporting. That’s 47 more patients than Friday’s report. This is the state’s highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations to date, and the sixth day in a row in which the record high was broken. Currently, 77% of ICU beds and 78% of inpatient beds are in use among reporting hospitals. The data does not identify how many of those beds are being used by patients with COVID-19.
Across the U.S.: According to the most recent update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States and its territories have recorded more than 3.1 million confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 as of Friday afternoon. The national number of cases increased by 59,260 since Thursday. The CDC on Friday reported 132,855 total U.S. deaths from COVID-19, a one-day increase of 799 new deaths.
