ROCKINGHAM — As new COVID-19 case numbers continue to bob up and down each day in Richmond County, one local housing authority is offering free testing.
The Rockingham Housing Authority will host a free drive-up testing site at the G.L. Rush Center — 733 Umstead St. — Aug. 5 and 6 from noon-7 p.m.
“Individuals do not have to get out of their cars,” RHA Executive DirectorChereka Belton said in an email. “If people are walking, they will be seen as well.”
Those interested in being tested should register at groundwater solutions.org or call 704-956-0505 for more information.
The Richmond County Health Department has reported 57 new coronavirus cases within the past week: 10 on Friday; 20 on Saturday; 13 on Monday; and seven each on Tuesday and Thursday.
No cases were reported on Wednesday and the Health Department does not release numbers on Sunday.
As of Thursday, 3,830 tests have returned with a negative result.
While the county’s total has risen to 478, only 115 are currently active, with six hospitalizations and 109 patients under home isolation.
The number of recoveries has risen to 355.
Health and Human Services Director Dr. Tommy Jarrell attributes the increase in positive cases to a combination of more testing, more travel and more interaction.
According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, the state set a new third-highest one-day record on Thursday with 2,344 new cases.
The statewide total of positive cases is now 120,194 out of 1,724,924 total COVID-19 tests performed.
The state estimates that 93,202 North Carolinans have recovered from the coronavirus, according to a report issued Monday.
On Tuesday, Gov. Roy Cooper issued an executive order cutting off the sale of alcoholic beverages at 11 p.m. The last call per state law is 2 a.m.
“Slowing the spread of this virus requires targeted strategies that help lower the risk of transmission,” Cooper said in a statement. “This will be particularly important as colleges and universities are scheduled to start, bringing people all over the country to our state. We have seen case numbers increase among younger people, and prevention is critical to slowing the spread of the virus.”
BY THE NUMBERS
The number of local cases per age group are as follows:
- 0-18 – 57
- 19-30 – 81
- 31-40 – 72
- 41-50 – 88
- 50-64 – 110
- 65-older – 70
The number of cases per ZIP code are as follows:
- Rockingham – 278 (203 recovered)
- Hamlet – 121 (98 recovered)
- Ellerbe – 49 (37 recovered)
- Hoffman – 23 (16 recovered)
- Mount Gilead – 7 (1 recovered)
DHHS reports that 33 of the state’s 100 counties that have now experienced more than 1,000 total cases: Alamance, Brunswick, Burke, Buncombe, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Chatham, Cumberland, Davidson, Duplin, Durham, Forsyth, Gaston, Granville, Guilford, Harnett, Henderson, Iredell, Johnston, Lee, Mecklenburg, New Hanover, Orange, Pitt, Randolph, Rowan, Robeson, Sampson, Union, Wake, Wayne and Wilson.
Graham County, in the mountains bordering Tennessee, has the state’s fewest number of cases with 23.. The only other county in that region with fewer than 40 is Maidson (36).
Hyde and Gates counties, with 37 and 38 cases, respectively, have the fewest in the eastern part of the state. No other coastal counties have fewer than 50 cases.
The total numbers (including recoveries) for surrounding counties are as follows:
- Mecklenburg -20,261 (the only other county to top 10,000 is Wake with 10,641)
- Union – 2,671
- Stanly – 848
- Montgomery – 563
- Anson – 298
- Moore – 870 (159 active)
- Hoke – 648
- Scotland – 259
- Robeson – 2,531
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.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is reporting 660 cases in Chesterfield County and 409 in Marlboro County.
