ROCKINGHAM — For the ninth time in the past month, the Richmond County Health Department has reported more than 20 new COVID-19 cases at one time.
In Tuesday’s update, the Health Department announced that 23 more residents have tested positive for the coronavirus — the third-highest one-day total not including weekend numbers since Nov. 1.
The number of active cases (146) — with six hospitalized and the rest under home isolation — is nearly double that from Nov. 1 (79).
The new cases bring the county’s total to 1,873 since the first case was reported in April. Richmond was one the last 10 counties in North Carolina to report a positive case of COVID-19.
Richmond County Schools reported five new cases on Tuesday: one traditional student each at East Rockingham and Fairview Heights elementary schools and Hamlet Middle; one virtual student at the Ninth Grade Academy; and one staff member at Richmond Senior.
According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, Monday and Tuesday saw fewer than 3,000 cases across the state. The lower case counts coincide with less testing over the past few days, following more than 60,000 tests performed Nov. 26.
While positive cases seem to be on a downward trend, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations continues to rise, with more than 2,000 patients being treated on Nov. 30.
FirstHealth reported on Tuesday that 49 of its 381 patients (12.9%) are being treated for COVID-19.
DHHS reports there have been a total of 5,322,548 tests completed in the state, with 367,395 positive cases.
Of the 57,985 tests completed by FirstHealth: 6,074 have been positive; 50,796 have been negative; and 500 results are still pending.
Richmond County has had 17,824 negative test results and 1,687 recoveries.
Free testing COVID in the parking lot behind the Human Services Complex on Caroline Street has been extended until Dec. 31. Testing will run from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Register for testing by visiting www.lhi.care and following the directions at the top or by calling 877-562-4850.
BY THE NUMBERS
The number of local cases per age group are as follows (includes recoveries):
- 0-18 – 286 (+3)
- 19-30 – 316 (+1)
- 31-40 – 246 (+7)
- 41-50 – 333 (+1)
- 50-64 – 385 (+7)
- 65-older – 307 (+4)
( + indicates the increase in cases per age group from the previous report.)
The total number of cases per ZIP code are as follows:
- Rockingham – 992 (74 active)
- Hamlet – 539 (51 active)
- Ellerbe – 164 (15 active)
- Hoffman – 151 (2 active)
- Mount Gilead – 10 (0 active)
- Marston – 16 (4 active)
- Jackson Springs – 1 (0 active)
Sixty-nine of the state’s 100 counties have now experienced more than 1,000 total cases and six are nearing that mark with more than 900 cases each.
Only three counties have had fewer than 200 cases, and they are all in the northeast corner of the state: Tyrrell (140), Camden (188), and Hyde (186). Gates County, which was previously among that group, now has had 220 cases. All four are among the state’s 10 least-populated counties.
The total numbers (including recoveries) for surrounding counties are as follows:
- Mecklenburg – 43,983 (other counties to top 10,000 are Wake, Guilford, Forsyth and Durham. All are among the state’s six most-populated counties.)
- Union – 7,984
- Stanly – 3,013
- Montgomery – 1,413
- Anson – 941
- Moore – 2,970 (286 active, 66 deaths)
- Hoke – 1,979
- Scotland – 1,978
- Robeson – 7,425(more than higher-populated counties New Hanover and Buncombe)
- All numbers are from DHHS except Moore, which are from the local health department, as there has been a discrepancy with the state.
Robeson, Hoke and Montgomery counties are among those listed as having critical community spread by DHHS.
