ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Health Department on Thursday two COVID-related deaths and more than 150 new positive cases of the coronavirus.
There have now been four COVID-related deaths reported in 2022, making 12 since Dec. 1 and 163 since the first was reported in April 2020.
According to the Health Department, the updated race and gender breakdown is as follows: 24 African American females, 27 African American males, three “other race” females, one “other race” male, two Hispanic females, three Hispanic males, two American Indian males, 53 Caucasian females and 48 Caucasian males.
Those who have died range in age: 38 have been 80 or older; 41 have been in their 70s; 43 in their 60s; 26 in their 50s; 10 in their 40s; and five in their 20s or 30s.
Of the county’s deaths, 131 have been at a hospital, 25 have passed away in another healthcare facility and seven have died outside of a health setting.
Based on previous reports, both recent deaths were of Cacuasian women, one in her 60s, the other in her 40s, and both died in a hospital.
North Carolina has recorded a total of 19,586 COVID-related deaths, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
The Health Department also reported 156 new cases on Thursday, after reporting 89 on Wednesday, when there 576 active cases
According to recent stats, 574 residents have tested positive since Dec. 31.
With the recent increase in testing, the Health Department announced on Facebook Thursday afternoon that the drive-thru site had run out of rapid tests and local health officials don’t know when those tests will again be available. However, the PCR test is still available at both the Health Department and Cole Auditorium sites.
Richmond County Schools’ COVID Tracker on Thursday showed 24 new cases.
Of those, 21 involved students: six at Richmond Senior High; four at L.J. Bell Elementary; three at Rockingham Middle; two each at East Rockingham Elementary and Ninth Grade Academy; and one each at Monroe Avenue Elementary, Cordova and Hamlet Middle, and Richmond Early College High School.
The three staff cases include one each at East Rockingham and Fairview Heights Elementary and the NGA.
So far this school year, there have been 560 student cases — 65 since Tuesday’s report — and 133 cases among staff.
Richmond Senior tops the student case list with 135, followed by 58 at NGA, 49 at Hamlet Middle and 45 at Rockingham Middle. All other schools have had fewer than 40, with Ashley Chapel Educational Center having only two.
NCDHHS has had two more record-breaking days of new cases, reporting 20,770 on Wednesday and 24,292 on Thursday. The high numbers follow three consecutive days of setting new records Dec. 20-Jan. 1.
COVID-related hospitalizations continue to rise, hitting a recent high of 3,293 on Wednesday, according to NCDHHS. Hospitalizations previously reached more than 3,800 last September.
On Wednesday, 77 of FirstHealth’s 413 patients (18.6%) were COVID-positive. There was no update as of 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Scotland Memorial Hospital had 20 COVID patients isolated earlier on Thursday.
The Health Department reported Thursday that 20,680 residents are vaccinated.
COVID vaccinations and boosters are available at the Health Department from 8 a.m. -5 p.m. Monday-Thursday 8-5, and 8-11 a.m. on Fridays with no appointment needed.
