ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Health Department on Wednesday afternoon reported the 47th COVID-related death of a local resident.
According to a press release, the individual died earlier in the day and is the fourth to die outside of a hospital or healthcare facility. Thirty-five have died in a hospital and eight have passed away in another healthcare setting.
So far there have been seven COVID-related deaths in December — the third this week — with the most recent reported Wednesday, one on Monday, two on Dec. 9, one on Dec. 4 and one on Dec. 3. Six deaths were reported in November and 15 in October.
The county’s first death attributed to the coronavirus was announced on April 10.
The race and gender breakdown is as follows: seven African American females, six African American males, two American Indian males, 18 Caucasian females and 14 Caucasian males.
It is not known if any of the patients had underlying conditions.
All patients have been between the ages of 31 and 95: 18 have been 80 or older; 11 have been in their 70s; 13 in their 60s; four in their 50s; and one who was 31.
As of Dec. 17, there have been 6,065 COVID-related deaths in the state, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
The death totals for surrounding counties, according to recent local and state statistics, are: 78 in Stanly; 75 in Moore; 57 in Chesterfield; 50 in Scotland; 44 in Montgomery; 34 in Hoke; 22 in Marlboro; and 19 in Anson.
Johns Hopkins University reports (as of 3:25 p.m. Dec. 17) there have been 309,334 COVID-related deaths in the U.S. and 1,657,132 globally.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
The number of North Carolina residents being treated for COVID-19 has steadily risen over the past month, setting new records almost daily.
As of Dec. 16, there were 2,804 hospitalizations statewide, according to DHHS, up from 1,501 a month earlier.
The Health Department reported 15 hospitalizations on Thursday and FirstHealth reports that 89 of its 380 patients (23.4%) are COVID-positive.
CASES
According to the Health Department, another 38 residents have tested positive for the coronavirus.
The latest update brings the weekly total (including Saturday and Sunday) to 157, the monthly number to 515, and the overall figure to 2,365 since the first case was reported in April. (The RO incorrectly reported the total on Wednesday as 2,337 instead of 2,327.)
There are currently 326 active cases in the county, with 311 under home isolation.
Richmond County Schools reported four new cases on Thursday, all involving staff members: two at Washington Street; and one each at Monroe Avenue and Richmond Early College High School.
Daily statewide cases have been increasing slightly over the past several days with 5,786 reported by DHHS on Thursday, marking the third consecutive day with more than 5,000 new cases.
It marks the 14th day this month that new daily numbers have topped 5,000. There have been more than 4,000 daily cases each day of December except for the first. Six days have seen counts in excess of 6,000 including Dec. 11, when a new record high of 7,540 was set.
TESTING
According to DHHS, there have been 6,149,645 completed tests for the coronavirus in the state, 457,660 of which have been positive.
FirstHealth has completed 66273 tests with 57,685 negative results, 7,502 positive results, and 371results still pending.
Some individuals have been tested multiple times.
The county has also recorded 20,619 negative test results since March, with 1,993 of those who tested positive presumed to be recovered.
The Health Department is offering free COVID testing in the lot behind the building until Dec. 31. Testing will run from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday — except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
There will also be free testing through Friday at Ellerbe Middle School parking lot from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Each site is closed for lunch from noon-12:30 p.m.
Register for testing by visiting www.lhi.care and following the directions at the top or by calling 877-562-4850.
BY THE NUMBERS
The number of local cases per age group are as follows (includes recoveries):
- 0-18 – 350 (+3)
- 19-30 – 385 (+2)
- 31-40 – 326 (+8)
- 41-50 – 415 (+10 – the RO had the number listed Wednesday as 305 instead of 405)
- 51-64 – 484 (+8)
- 65-older – 405 (+6)
The total number of cases per ZIP code are as follows:
- Rockingham – 1283 (192 active)
- Hamlet – 682 (89 active)
- Ellerbe – 197 (25 active)
- Hoffman – 168 (14 active)
- Mount Gilead – 12 (2 active)
- Marston – 22 (4 active)
- Jackson Springs – 1 (0 active)
The total numbers (including recoveries) for surrounding counties are as follows:
- Mecklenburg – 53,526 (other counties to top 10,000 are Wake, Guilford, Forsyth, Durham, Cumberland and Gaston and Union*)
- Union* – 10,201
- Stanly – 3,689
- Montgomery – 1,685
- Anson – 1,207 (+88)
- Moore – 3,974 (802 active, 75 deaths – the county lists no change from the previous day, but the state shows 4,032)
- Hoke – 2,409
- Scotland – 2,302
- Robeson – 8,556 (more than higher-populated counties New Hanover and Buncombe)
All numbers are from DHHS except Moore, which are from the local health department, as there has been a discrepancy with the state.
Tyrrell County, the smallest by population, remains the only one of the state’s 100 counties to have fewer than 200 cases with 159.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control is reporting (as of Dec. 15) 2,054 total cases in Chesterfield County and 1,710 in Marlboro County.
