ROCKINGHAM — The number of positive COVID-19 cases has risen each day this week, with 10 being reported on Thursday.
The Richmond County Health Department reported only two on Monday, but seven on Tuesday and eight on Wednesday.
Added to the 11 new cases reported on July 4, that brings Richmond to a five-day total of 38. The county doesn’t report cases on Sundays.
Richmond County’s total number of cases has risen to 350, with 104 active: 100 under home isolation and four hospitalized.
There have also been 44 additional recoveries since July 1, bringing that total to 239, according to the Health Department.
County Manager Bryan Land told the Richmond County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that the administration is “doing everything in our control to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
Measures include screening and testing temperatures of employees and anyone who walks into a county building and placing hand-sanitizing stations and barriers around county buildings.
The county has also set up virtual interview rooms for the Department of Social Services where face-to-face contact with clients isn’t necessary.
“Each room is equipped with audio and video two-way communications (and) we are utilizing remote scanning and printing of all documents and a drop box for all completed applications,” Land said.
He added that each employee will be able to access all of the rooms remotely from their offices.
“In addition, we are adding a digital check in process and an electronic reception area which will allow clients to self-check in and then be directed from a video screen to the appropriate video room,” Land continued. “Our IT staff and building maintenance crews have done a tremendous job making all of the necessary accommodations for the various departments.”
Land said he and Health and Human Services Director Dr. Tommy Jarrell attribute “a good majority” of the increase in cases to an increase in testing.
“However,” he added, “there are other circumstances including not following recommendations and community spread that have led to the ramp up in cases in our county.”
The Health Department, which released weekly testing totals throughout the month of June, has not released that report since June 30.
During the last month, there were 318 tested the first week, 199 the second week, 442 the third week, and 252 the fourth week.
The Health Department does release the total number of negative results each day. That number has risen from 2,315 on July 4 to 2,575 on July 9. That means there have been 260 negative tests compared to the 38 that were positive.
STATE DATA
For the second day this month — and since testing began — North Carolina had more than 2,000 new cases reported in a single day.
The 2,039 announced by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday is 60 fewer than the record high of 2,099 reported on July 3.
The state also set a new record for COVID-related hospitalizations on Thursday with 1,034, breaking the 1,000 mark for the first time during the pandemic.
Of the 1,121,811 completed tests, DHHS reports that 79,349 have been positive and on July 6 estimated that 55,318 of those have recovered.
Despite the increase in cases, the state’s COVID-19-related deaths — now at 1,461, including seven in Richmond County — have continued a downward track since peaking at 32 on May 25.
BY THE NUMBERS
The number of local cases per age group are as follows:
- 0-18 – 42
- 19-30 – 60
- 31-40 – 51
- 41-50 – 67
- 50-64 – 86
- 65-older – 44
The majority of new cases have been those aged 41-64.
The number of cases per ZIP code are as follows:
- Rockingham – 201 (144 recovered)
- Hamlet – 98 (63 recovered)
- Ellerbe – 33 (19 recovered)
- Hoffman – 17 (12 recovered)
- Mount Gilead – 1 – recovered
Twenty-one of the state’s 100 counties have now experienced more than 1,000 total cases, according to DHHS: Burke, Catawba, Chatham, Davidson, Mecklenburg, Gaston, Union, Rowan Cabarrus, Randolph, Forsyth, Guilford, Alamance, Durham, Wake, Johnston, Wayne, Duplin, Sampson, Cumberland and Robeson counties.
With the exception of Burke and Catawba in the west and New Hanover in the east, those counties form a contiguous arc around the Piedmont.
Iredell and Lee counties, with 985 and 901 cases, respectively, could be the next to top the 1,000 mark.
Graham and Clay counties, both in the mountains, only have 10 and 11 cases each, respectively. On the coast, Hyde and Tyrrell counties have both seen a recent spike, leaving Currituck with the fewest cases (22), followed by Hyde (25), Pamlico (27) and Gates (29).
The total numbers (including recoveries) for surrounding counties are as follows:
- Mecklenburg -13,757 (the only county to top 10,000)
- Union – 1,643
- Stanly – 531
- Montgomery – 368
- Anson – 176
- Moore – 591 (160 active)
- Hoke – 434
- Scotland – 157
- Robeson – 1,479
All numbers except Moore are from DHHS, which is from the local health department, as there has been a discrepancy with the state showing fewer cases. However, on Thursday DHHS reported 594 — three more than the county.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, which last updated its numbers on July 1, is reporting 422 cases in Chesterfield County and 328 in Marlboro County.
