Coronavirus Now In 78 NC Counties, Blamed For 9 Deaths

Kimberly Johnson
Updated ·4 min read

NORTH CAROLINA — The novel coronavirus continues to take its toll on North Carolina, and is now blamed for at least nine deaths and 204 hospitalization, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said in its daily morning update Wednesday. The number of documented cases of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, surged by nearly 100 overnight to 1,584 cases known in the state.

The state's COVID-19 hotspot, Mecklenburg County, reported about 28 percent of the tally, with 444 cases, followed by Wake County with 195 cases and Durham County with 126 cases.

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

The cases tracked by NC DHHS 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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Tuesday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced an 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.

The economic scale of these new policies is also starting to emerge. More than 300,000 residents have filed for unemployment in North Carolina since March 16, WRAL reported.

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, Stein 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 78 of North Carolina's 100 counties, along with the number of cases by county and the number of deaths:

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This article originally appeared on the Charlotte Patch