Almost 2,100 Coronavirus Cases In NC, 19 Deaths Reported

NORTH CAROLINA — After tallying more than 200 new confirmations, North Carolina health officials say there are now at least 2,093 cases of novel coronavirus in the state, as hospital beds begin to fill up. As of Friday morning, the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has been blamed for 19 deaths and 259 hospitalizations.

North Carolina's COVID-19 hotspot, Mecklenburg County, reported 564 cases, followed by Wake County with 258 cases and Durham County with 159 cases.

The numbers, however, only tell part of the story, officials say.

The cases tracked by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services include those that have been confirmed in a laboratory, and leave out a larger group of people, such as those with minimal or mild symptoms who were not tested, those who had symptoms but didn't seek medical care, those who sought medical care but were not tested and those with COVID-19 in whom the virus was not detected by testing.

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In a daily update shortly before noon Friday, NC DHHS released more detail about hospital bed availability in North Carolina.

About 34 percent — or 7,156 — of the state's inpatient hospital beds remain empty, however slightly less than 20 percent of the state's 3,223 intensive care unit beds remain free of patients. Based upon a survey of almost 90 percent of North Carolina hospitals, about 20 percent of the state's current inventory of 3,014 ventilators are already in use by non-COVID 19 patients, NC DHSS said.

The number of North Carolina residents applying for first-time unemployment benefits was 170,881 for the week ended March 28, up nearly twofold from the prior week's record-breaking number of 94,083. That's an 82 percent increase in jobless claims as the effort to stop the spread of the new coronavirus shuts down many businesses in the state.

Reports of certain types of crimes, such as aggravated assaults and domestic violence, are also increasing.

"Shooting into occupied dwellings have spiked up in the past month, which is a great concern while we have a shelter-in-place order," said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Deputy Chief Gerald Smith.

There was an 80 percent increase of shootings into occupied dwellings in March 2020 compared with March 2019, Smith said.

The increase represents an 60 additional cases over a year span, which Smith said was especially concerning at a time when more people are inside homes and vehicles.

"The possibility of something tragic, if not deadly, occurring is there," he said.

Domestic violence calls have also spiked in the Charlotte metro. In March, CMPD saw an 18 percent increase — or 517 additional calls — regarding domestic disturbances compared with 2019, Smith said.

Earlier this week, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced a new executive order that will prevent utility companies from shutting off service to customers for nonpayment for the next 60 days. The announcement comes as state residents continue to reel from the impacts of recent policies related to slowing the spread of COVID-19.

Under the new order announced Tuesday, utilities that provide water, gas, sewer, electricity and wastewater services are prohibited from disconnecting service due to lack of payment during the 60-day period, which Cooper said could be extended. While the order does not target phone, cable and internet providers, those companies are also "strongly urged to follow these same rules," Cooper said.

The order directs utility companies to give customers at least six months to pay outstanding bills without interest. It also encourages the delay of evictions and for banks to not charge overdraft fees.

"This action is particularly important since tomorrow is the first of the month, and I know that's a date many families fear when they can't make ends meet," Cooper said. "These protections will help families stay in their homes and keep vital services like electricity, water, and communications going as we Stay at Home."

The new executive order is one of many issued by Cooper this month. Cooper declared a state of emergency for the entire state March 10. Public schools throughout the state have been ordered closed through at least May 15. In addition, Cooper ordered a statewide ban on all dine-in service at restaurants and bars. As of Monday evening, all of North Carolina was under a 30-day "stay-at-home" order, which means residents are directed to stay in their homes unless they need to leave for essential activities, such as for jobs, food, medicine, outdoor exercise or to help others.

The order also bans gatherings of more than 10 people, and its directs residents stay at least six feet from each other. Essential services will be allowed to remain open.

State officials are targeting scammers and price gouging, according to North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein.

As of March 31, the state had received 755 complaints of price gouging in the state, and each one will be reviewed, he said.

"We're working hard to raise awareness of scams relating to coronavirus, particularly those using robocalls," Stein said. "While the vast majority of folks in NC are rising to the occasion to help others, there are a few heartless criminals trying to exploit people's fears."

In an attempt to provide as much information to our readers as possible, Patch is publishing a county-by-county breakdown of the coronavirus cases in 86 of North Carolina's 100 counties, along with the number of cases by county and the number of deaths:

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