ELIZABETHTOWN — Bladen County residents and all of America have been told to brace for the “hardest and saddest week” of their lives.
Sunday’s report from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services underscored that message from the nation’s surgeon general. Thirty-one North Carolinians have perished because of COVID-19, and 261 remained hospitalized in the midday report.
Twenty-four hours earlier, the death toll was 24. Last Monday, the state had six deaths.
The Bladen County Health Department is monitoring one positive case of the coronavirus. It was confirmed Thursday evening; there’s been no update on the patient, who at that time was hospitalized and said to be doing well.
There have been 2,585 cases reported statewide, but Drs. Terri Duncan in Elizabethtown and Mandy Cohen in Raleigh with DHHS have repeatedly emphasized the statistics released do not give the full picture of the virus’ spread. Duncan is the county health director; Cohen is the secretary of DHHS.
Dr. Jerome Adams, the surgeon general, said earlier in the day, “This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment, only it’s not going to be localized. It’s going to be happening all over the country. And I want America to understand that.”
Bladen County was among the last counties in North Carolina to report an infection. There’s only 11 now.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked people not to gather in large crowds. And this weekend, the CDC upgraded their caution by urging everyone to wear “cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.”
The CDC said their advisory is not a replacement to President Trump’s guidelines.
In North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper has issued a stay at home order through April 29. He’s banned gatherings of more than 10. Several communities in neighboring counties to Bladen have instituted curfews. These include within portions of Columbus, Robeson and Cumberland counties.
Sunday’s report from DHHS included the first case in Pender County, leaving only Jones, Hyde, Tyrrell and Camden east of Raleigh without a reported positive case. Cumberland’s total grew to 42, and Columbus and Robeson to five each. Sampson has two. A bit farther away, New Hanover has 37, Brunswick 24, Hoke 10 and Duplin four.
Of those counties, only Brunswick has reported a death linked to COVID-19.
There’s been little change in age breakdown since the state experienced a surge in cases reported. Ages 25-49 account for 41 percent, 50-64 for 28 percent, 65-and-up for 21 percent, 18-24 for 9 percent, and under 18 for 1 percent. Cases are 51 percent women.
The state still has more than 700 intensive care unit beds and 6,400 overall available, according to 62 percent of the hospitals reporting. More than 1,700 ventilators are available in the state.