ROCKINGHAM ― Richmond County has recorded its 13th COVID-related death during the pandemic, Health and Human Services Director Dr. Tommy Jarrell announced Friday afternoon.
He said in a statement that the patient died Thursday in a hospital outside of Richmond County.
“Please join us with your thoughts and prayers for this family today during this time of their loss,” Jarrell said.
The most recent death was reported on Aug. 31, making four in that month. The others that month were reported Aug. 2, 27 and 28.
The county’s first death attributed to COVID-19 was reported on April 10; the second was on April 17; the third on May 30; the fourth on June 8; the fifth on June 11; the sixth on June 29; the seventh on June 30; and the eighth on July 21.
The 13 patients who have died have ranged from 31-95 years old, he said.
The 12th death is the first reported at a congregate living facility. All other patients have died in a hospital setting, Jarrell confirmed.
No other statistics have been made available.
Statewide, there have been 3,023 deaths attributed to the coronavirus, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. John Hopkins University lists 192,616 deaths across the U.S. and 911,591 globally.
The county does not yet release if there were any underlying health conditions.
However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report on Aug. 26 stating that only 6% of the reported deaths have COVID-19 listed as the only cause.
NEW CASES
The Health Department reported a dozen new cases on Friday, bringing the county’s overall total to 828. There have been 89 cases reported this week: 28 on Tuesday (which included Sunday and Monday); 18 on Wednesday; and 31 on Thursday.
Jarrell said that any potential cases related to Labor Day weekend won’t be seen until next week.
There are currently 153 active cases, with 134 under home isolation and nine hospitalized.
The Health Department reports that 661 patients have recovered and 8,121 residents have tested negative for the coronavirus.
After dropping to a near-record low, daily statewide cases have been on the rise this week, topping out Friday at 1,532― which is still nearly 1,000 fewer than the record high 2,481 on July 18.
“Some people are not taking it seriously enough,” Jarrell told the RO on Thursday, adding that some who test positive or are supposed to be under quarantine aren’t staying home, both in Richmond County and across the state and nation.
He encourages residents to practice social distancing, wear facial coverings in public and to stay home if they’re positive or under quarantine.
“That would help a lot, but there are so many people not doing that,” Jarrell said.
BY THE NUMBERS
The number of local cases per age group are as follows:
- 0-18 – 112
- 19-30 – 126
- 31-40 – 116
- 41-50 – 153
- 50-64 – 179
- 65-older – 142
The number of cases per ZIP code are as follows:
- Rockingham – 476 (82 active)
- Hamlet – 227 (51 active)
- Ellerbe – 82 (14 active)
- Hoffman – 30 (5 active)
- Mount Gilead – 10 (0 active)
- Marston – 3 (1 active)
(*Note: The Richmond County Health Department now lists the number of active cases per ZIP Code instead of the number of recoveries.)
DHHS reports that more than 40 of the state’s 100 counties that have now experienced more than 1,000 total cases: Alamance, Brunswick, Burke, Buncombe, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Craven, Franklin, Chatham, Cleveland, Columbus, Cumberland, Davidson, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Gaston, Granville, Guilford, Harnett, Henderson, Iredell, Johnston, Lee, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Moore, Nash, New Hanover, Onlsow, Orange, Pitt, Randolph, Rowan, Robeson, Rockingham, Rutherford, Sampson, Stanly, Surry, Union, Wake, Wayne, Wilkes and Wilson.
In addition to Richmond, Halifax, Hoke, Lenoir, McDowell, Montgomery, Pender and Vance counties have had more than 800 cases.
Madison County has the state’s fewest number of cases with 82. The only other counties with 100 or fewer cases are both in the mountains: Mitchell (94) and Clay (100). Graham County, which previously had the fewest cases, is now up to 104. In the east, Gates, Camden have had 103 cases each, and Tyrell County has had 108 cases.
The total numbers (including recoveries) for surrounding counties are as follows:
- Mecklenburg -26,683 (the only other county to top 10,000 is Wake with 16,156)
- Union – 4,300
- Stanly – 1,655
- Montgomery – 968
- Anson – 499
- Moore – 1,448 (131 active)
- Hoke – 942
- Scotland – 794
- Robeson – 3,974
All numbers are from DHHS except Moore, which are from the local health department, as there has been a discrepancy with the state. DHHS still has Richmond with fewer than 800.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is reporting 1,090 cases in Chesterfield County and 829 in Marlboro County.
