ROCKINGHAM — COVID-19 statistics continue a downward trend as a new month begins.
The Richmond County Health Department on Monday reported 58 new positive cases of the coronavirus, though it’s not known how many of those cases are from the last two days of January.
That averages out to 19.3 cases per day over the weekend.
This is the fewest number of cases reported on a Monday since Dec. 21. The Health Department stopped reporting Saturdays individually on Oct. 31.
With 211 residents considered to have recovered, the number of active cases dropped from 420 on Friday to 264. The last time active cases numbered fewer than 300 was on Dec. 31 with 236.
Not counting Saturday and Sunday, there were 961 cases during the month of January. The previous monthly record was set in December with 806 cases, which was more than November and October combined.
Richmond County Schools on Monday reported two staff members of Richmond Senior and one each at Rockingham Middle and West Rockingham Elementary had tested positive.
Students returned to school on Monday following a 5-2 decision last week by the Richmond County Board of Education.
Since RCS began tracking cases in late August of 2020, 111 staff members have tested positive, as have 11 employees in Central Services, 55 traditional students and 210 virtual students.
Statewide daily cases, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, dropped to 3,776 — the first day with fewer than 3,800 cases since Dec. 29.
The number of COVID-related hospitalizations, both local and statewide, is also falling.
The Health Department reported 16 residents were in a hospital on Monday, down from 21 on Friday.
According to FirstHealth, 67 of its 345 patients (19.4%) were COVID-positive and Scotland Memorial Hospital’s isolated census dropped to 27 from 39 on Jan. 27.
Hospitalizations across the state have been dropping as steadily as they rose from mid-November through mid-January. That number peaked just shy of 4,000 on Jan. 13 and was back down to 2,781 on Jan. 31.
FirstHealth and the Health Department announced Monday that they are once again registering residents for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Since testing began in Richmond County, 27,559 results have been negative and 3,675 have been positive.
North Carolina has had 9,342 COVID-related deaths, including 75 in Richmond County. The three latest local deaths were reported on Saturday, making 22 for the month of January.
BY THE NUMBERS
The number of local cases per age group are as follows (includes recoveries):
0-18 – 551 (+5)
19-30 – 583 (+6)
31-40 – 495 (+13)
41-50 – 626 (+11)
51-64 – 769 (+10)
65-older – 638 (+13)
