ROCKINGHAM — State and local health officials announced Thursday that Richmond County has five new positive cases of COVID-19.
When the Richmond County Health Department issued its update, the total number of cases had risen to 47.
According to local statistics, four are hospitalized and 27 are in home isolation.
Fourteen patients have recovered since the first case was reported on April 7 and two have died due to complications associated with the coronavirus, according to health officials.
Of the confirmed cases, the majority of the patients (16) have been 51-64 years old. The second-highest age group are those 65 and older with a dozen cases.
Seven people who have contracted the virus are 41-50; six are 31-40; four are 19-30; and two are under the age of 18, including a 9-year-old.
A map on the health department’s Facebook page shows that most of the cases (27) have a Rockingham address and 17 are from the Hamlet area. There are also two from in or near Ellerbe and one from around Hoffman.
While there is no difference in the numbers between local and state officials — although several earlier cases from Montgomery County were mistakenly attributed to Richmond — there is still a discrepancy in the numbers from Moore County.
The state currently shows 79 cases with three related deaths, but the Moore County Health Department reported 95 cases and six deaths on April 20. On Monday, the Pilot of Southern Pines reported that number had reached 116.
At least 65 of those cases are tied to an outbreak at Pinehurst Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, the Pilot reports. Four of Richmond County’s cases are also connected.
According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, there are 1,649 cases — including 169 deaths — related to 49 coronavirus outbreaks at nursing homes in 29 counties.
There have also been 981 lab-confirmed cases tied to outbreaks at 14 correctional facilities, which includes state and federal prisons and county jails.
While Anson is one of the listed counties, state health and prison officials say there is no confirmed case of COVID-19 at Morrison Correctional Institution in Hoffman.
DHHS has a list of all ongoing congregate living outbreaks across the state that can be found at: https://files.nc.gov/ncdhhs/documents/files/covid-19/Weekly-COVID19-Ongoing-Outbreaks.pdf
That list will be updated each Tuesday and Friday.
As of 11 a.m., there were 10,509 cases in 98 statewide. However, DHHS does not list the number of recoveries.
More than 128,000 residents have been tested. Of those who have tested positive, 378 have died and 546 are currently hospitalized.
The only two counties still without a confirmed case are Avery and Yancey, both of which are in the mountains and border Tennessee.
The number of cases in Mecklenburg County has surpassed 1,600 with 47 related deaths, according to DHHS.
As for cases in surrounding counties, DHHS reports there are 24 in Scotland, 25 in Anson, 33 in Montgomery (with one death), 29 in Stanly (with four deaths), 80 in Hoke, 240 (with nine deaths) in Union and 157 (with three deaths) in Robeson.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control shows that, as of 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, there were 43 reported cases in Marlboro County and 48 in Chesterfield County. However, SCDHEC also estimates the number of cases to top 200.
Those estimations are calculated “based on evidence that for every known case of COVID-19, there could be up to nine people with the virus who remain unidentified in the community.”
