ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County and North Carolina saw an increase in new positive COVID-19 cases on Friday, with the state setting a new daily record.
According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, there were 2,908 new cases, more than double the number of daily cases reported on Monday.
There were 19 new cases reported locally by the Richmond County Health Department, the most this week, bringing the weekly and monthly total to 64.
There are currently 107 active cases, with 104 under home isolation and three hospitalized.
The number of local hospitalizations has dropped over the past week. Statewide daily hospitalizations have remained above 1,100 since Oct. 11.
According to Health and Human Services Director Dr. Tommy Jarrell, more than 250 people took advantage of a free COVID testing site in the parking lot of Cole Auditorium this week.
Next week, free testing will begin in the parking lot behind the Human Services Complex on Caroline Street. Testing will run from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday through the rest of the month, except for Thanksgiving Day and the day after, according to a press release issued Friday afternoon.
Jarrell said anyone seeking testing should enter the Greene Street entrance and follow signs to the back of the building to the testing center.
Richmond County Schools reports that five virtual students — two at the Ninth Grade Academy, and one each at Hamlet Middle, Ellerbe Middle and Monroe Avenue Elementary — as well as two employees at Central Services tested positive for the coronavirus this week.
Since the first case was reported in April, 1,513 Richmond County residents have tested positive for the coronavirus and 1,369 have recovered. Of all the tests performed, 14,384 have returned a negative result.
Thirty-seven residents have died after contracting COVID-19, including three so far in November and 15 in October.
BY THE NUMBERS
The number of local cases per age group are as follows (includes recoveries):
- 0-18 – 201
- 19-30 – 259
- 31-40 – 196
- 41-50 – 267
- 50-64 – 321
- 65-older – 269
The total number of cases per ZIP code are as follows:
- Rockingham – 783 (58 active)
- Hamlet – 428 (32 active)
- Ellerbe – 136 (12 active)
- Hoffman – 145 (5 active, including 2 at Morrison CI)
- Mount Gilead – 10 (0 active)
- Marston – 9 (0 active)
- Jackson Springs – 1 (0 active)
More than 60 of the state’s 100 counties have now experienced more than 1,000 total cases.
Only four counties have had fewer than 200 cases, and they are all in the northeast corner of the state: Tyrrell (134), Camden (145), Gates (172) and Hyde (177). All four are among the state’s 10 least populated counties.
The total numbers (including recoveries) for surrounding counties are as follows:
- Mecklenburg -35,845 (the only other counties to top 10,000 are Wake with 22,771 and Guilford with 12,629)
- Union – 6,315
- Stanly – 2,533
- Montgomery – 1,243
- Anson – 755
- Moore – 2,382 (117 active, 57 deaths)
- Hoke – 1,647
- Scotland – 1,710
- Robeson – 6,431
All numbers are from DHHS except Moore, which are from the local health department, as there has been a discrepancy with the state.
