ROCKINGHAM — For the second consecutive day, Richmond County’s coronavirus case count has risen by one, bringing Wednesday’s total to 22.
The Richmond County Health Department released the latest numbers in its daily 2 p.m. update on Wednesday.
The latest patient is 65, according to a chart included with the update. The youngest patient, announced Sunday, is 9 years old. The others are between the ages of 31 and 82.
Of the county’s 22 cases, Health and Human Services Director Dr. Tommy Jarrell says that two patients have died, two are currently hospitalized and the rest are in home isolation.
The Health Department has not given the genders of the patients or the ages or genders of those whose deaths are attributed to a COVID-19 infection.
A map shows that 15 patients have a Rockingham address, six are from the Hamlet area and one is from around Hoffman.
Five are believed to have contracted the virus through out-of-county work-related travel, four are associated with an outbreak at a Pinehurst nursing home and the rest are thought to be community spread.
Jarrell says 443 county residents have been tested and 375 of the returned results have been negative.
The latest statistics from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services show that out of 90,366 completed tests, 7,220 have been positive, with 242 deaths attributed to the virus.
But those numbers may not be completely accurate.
The state still shows neighboring Moore County as only having 67 confirmed cases, while the local health department announced Monday that there were 95, including five deaths.
There are still seven of the state’s 100 counties that have yet to record a positive case.
The more populated counties seem to have the most cases, with Mecklenburg topping the list with more than 1,200.
The Richmond County testing site has been moved from the old Sandhills Regional Hospital to the outpatient parking lot of FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital-Richmond in Rockingham. There is also a site in West End.
Those wishing to be tested should be referred by their primary healthcare provider, Health Department, or by calling the COVID-19 hotline at 910-417-4947.
While health officials continue to encourage residents to stay home as much as possible and use social distancing, there is still no curfew in Richmond County and no documentation is needed to travel on local roads.
