Coronavirus: Bladen County recovery total climbs to 500

ELIZABETHTOWN — Bladen County has 500 recoveries from the coronavirus, its Health Department said Friday.

The county has 102 active cases, with seven people hospitalized. There have been six deaths since the pandemic began, and 608 cases.

The postal ZIP code report from DHHS lists 166 cases in Elizabethtown and White Lake since the pandemic began; 67 in Bladenboro; 56 in White Oak; 53 in East Arcadia; 52 in Clarkton; 44 in Tar Heel; 12 in Council; 10 in Kelly; and six in Dublin.

The numbers do not match the state’s county total because not all communities are represented. Two deaths were in Bladenboro, and one each in Tar Heel and White Oak. Not linked to a ZIP code unique to Bladen County are the third death June 25, and the sixth death July 28.

Friday’s totals from the state included:

• 2,134 deaths, up 42 from Thursday.

• 132,812 cases, up 1,545.

• 1,123 hospitalized, down 24.

• 1,939,812 tests, up 35,062.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.

In adjacent counties to Bladen, there have been 168 deaths and 8,711 cases. Cumberland has 50 deaths and 2,987 cases; Robeson has 53 deaths and 2,745 cases; Columbus has 48 deaths and 881 cases; Sampson has 14 deaths and 1,455 cases; and Pender has three deaths and 643 cases.

Congregate living settings in North Carolina have totaled 1,112 deaths and 12,387 positive cases. Outbreaks have been identified and are active at 175 nursing homes, 99 residential care facilities, 40 correctional institutions and 13 other facilities. Of those, five each are in Cumberland and Sampson, four in Robeson, and one each in Bladen, Pender and Columbus.

Cumberland also has two clusters and Bladen has one.

There was no change in the Friday detailed reports for outbreaks and clusters in Bladen County. There are two staff listed at an Elizabethtown nursing home, and five staff at an Ivanhoe child care facility.

With 90 percent of the state’s hospitals reporting, DHHS says there is availability of 73 percent of the ventilators, 26 percent of the intensive care unit beds and 27 percent of all hospital beds.

In the personal protective equipment category, gloves are at a 72-day supply and all other categories are at least four months.

A combined 13 metropolitan counties have the state’s three largest cities and account for 47.1 percent of the deaths (1,006) and 52.5 percent of the cases (69,746).

In the Charlotte area, Mecklenburg County has 225 deaths and 21,876 positive cases, Rowan County has 48 deaths and 2,148 cases, Cabarrus County has 48 deaths and 2,549 cases, Union County has 42 deaths and 3,016 cases, and Gaston County has 47 deaths and 3,263 cases — a total of 410 deaths and 32,852 cases.

In and near the Triangle area, Wake County has 164 deaths and 11,753 cases, Durham County has 79 deaths and 6,080 cases, Johnston County has 45 deaths and 3,207 cases, and Orange County has 47 deaths and 1,329 cases — a total of 335 deaths and 22,369 cases.

In the interior of the 12-county Piedmont Triad, Guilford County has 154 deaths and 5,498 cases, Forsyth County has 52 deaths and 5,148 cases, Randolph County has 37 deaths and 2,149 cases, and Davidson County has 18 deaths and 1,730 cases — a total of 261 deaths and 14,525 cases.

According to the coronavirus tracker of Johns Hopkins University, available on BladenJournal.com, more than 4.9 million confirmed cases and 161,000 deaths are counted in the U.S. The second-highest case total is in Brazil, with more than 2.9 million.

There are more than 19.2 million cases worldwide, with more than 718,000 deaths.