Raleigh, North Carolina – North Carolina reported on Wednesday the total number of deaths from a coronavirus pandemic in a single day. 98 new deaths were recorded.
To date, 5,979 people have died from the virus in the state and more than 303,000 have lost their lives nationwide.
At the same time, hospitalizations continue to rise, to a record 2,811 on Wednesday, a jump of 76 from the previous day and about twice as much as that seen recently in Thanksgiving week.
More than 15% of all hospital patients across the state have tested positive for coronavirus and nearly a quarter of state ICU beds are full of COVID-19 patients.
“There are too many seriously ill North Carolinians,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said Tuesday.
“I know we’re all so insensitive to these numbers, so I ask you to take a moment to think about who these people are. They’re our neighbors, our friends, our family: they’re people we love,” Cohen said. “I know no one wants this for our state.”
Cohen and Gov. Roy Cooper said the rise in the virus – North Carolina also recorded another 5,273 infections on Wednesday, marking seven days out of the last eight when the daily total exceeded 5,000 – was expected to travel and had family reunions for Thanksgiving. .
They said the numbers could be even worse after Hanukkah, Christmas and other festive celebrations in the coming weeks, and Cooper again urged people to give up traditional gatherings and instead choose loved ones. by phone or online chat.
“It simply came to our notice then [travel], it is essential to do tests, wear a mask, keep it small and keep it outside, ”he said.
The positive test rate also hit a record on Wednesday, with 12.5%. That is, two and a half times the 5% positive rate that Cooper and Cohen want to consider controlling the spread of the virus.