ELIZABETHTOWN — Two weeks ago, national health experts described a grim 14 days ahead.
Sunday, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services added eight deaths to the coronavirus fatality total — making a total of 141 in the last 14 days and 172 total. Though only by one, it was the first time in six days the state’s update didn’t include at least nine deaths.
Still, the 91 killed is the most for a Monday to Sunday week since the first death was reported March 25.
Bladen County learned of its second reported positive case of COVID-19 on Saturday, plus a case involving a worker — that lives in another county — at the Smithfield Foods plant in Tar Heel. Bladen’s number of positive cases remained two on Sunday; the first patient has since recovered, and there have been no deaths for the county.
Statewide, the number of people hospitalized increased from 388 a day earlier to 465; the number of positive cases rose from 6,140 to 6,493.
DHHS says, with 78 percent of hospitals reporting, there are available 2,222 ventilators, 6,304 hospital beds and 784 intensive care unit beds. The percentage of hospitals reporting was down 10 percent from Saturday, and the numbers of availability reflect a drop parallel to that decrease.
Adjacent to Bladen, five counties have six deaths and 219 positive cases. Cumberland has three deaths and 112 cases, Columbus has three deaths and 57 cases, Sampson has 22 cases, Robeson has 21 cases and Pender has seven cases.
Across the state, 95 percent of the deaths and 53 percent of the positive cases are linked to those age 50 and up. Men represent 66 percent of the deaths, and women make up 52 percent of the cases.
Among congregate living facilities, the state says there are outbreaks in 37 nursing homes, 13 residential care facilities, nine prisons, and two other facilities. There have been 66 deaths linked to such facilities. Of those, two nursing homes in Columbus and one in Cumberland are in counties adjacent to Bladen.