Coronavirus: Eleven cases added; 154 active in Bladen County

ELIZABETHTOWN — Bladen County’s active case count climbed to 154 on Saturday, with 11 added to push the total since the pandemic began to 1,334.

In the last four days, 58 cases have been added. Six people are hospitalized.

The county has had 1,161 recover, its Health Department says. Nineteen have died; there have been none on the daily reports since Oct. 13.

There have been 235 cases added this month, second only to the 271 in June. The day’s active case count has been topped only in the six-day stretch from June 23-28, when it ranged from 153 to 160.

The state Department of Health and Human Services postal ZIP code report lists 431 cases in Elizabethtown and White Lake since the pandemic began; 268 in Bladenboro; 159 in East Arcadia; 144 in Clarkton; 82 in White Oak; 76 in Tar Heel; 29 each in Kelly and Council; and 13 in Dublin.

There are nine fatalities listed for the ZIP in Elizabethtown and White Oak. There have been three in East Arcadia, two in Dublin, and one each in Bladenboro, Clarkton, Tar Heel, White Oak and Kelly.

Saturday’s totals from the state included:

• 5,219 deaths, up nine from Friday’s noon report.

• 357,958 cases, up 3,444.

• 1,840 hospitalized, up 60.

• 5,224,397 tests, up 51,899.

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 conditions, the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.

In Bladen County, the ages 25-49 category has had 40 percent of the cases, 50-64 has 23 percent, 18-24 has 12 percent, 17-and-under has 10 percent, 65-74 has 8 percent and 75-or-older has 5 percent. The age breakdown on 16 of the 19 deaths is now supressed by the state; previously, it was reported as ages 75-and-older has 63 percent, 65-74 has 21 percent, 50-64 has 11 percent and 25-49 has 5 percent.

Statewide, the ages 25-49 category has had 40 percent of the cases, 50-64 has 19 percent, 18-24 has 16 percent, 17-and-under has 10 percent, 65-74 has 8 percent and 75-or-older has 7 percent. Of the fatalities, ages 75-and-older has made up 59 percent, 65-74 has 23 percent, 50-64 has 14 percent and 25-49 has 4 percent.

In adjacent counties to Bladen, there have been 356 deaths and 24,943 cases. Cumberland has 115 deaths and 9,343 cases; Robeson has 110 deaths and 7,351 cases; Columbus has 71 deaths and 2,735 cases; Sampson has 43 deaths and 3,627 cases; and Pender has 17 deaths and 1,887 cases.

Congregate living settings in North Carolina have totaled 2,624 deaths and 35,810 positive cases. Outbreaks have been identified and are active at 237 nursing homes, 134 residential care facilities, 45 correctional institutions and nine other facilities. Of those, eight are in Robeson, five in Cumberland, four in Sampson, and three each in Columbus and Pender, and one in Bladen.

Cumberland has two clusters, and Bladen, Sampson and Columbus each have one.

With 97 percent of the state’s hospitals reporting, DHHS says there is availability of 72 percent of the ventilators, 24 percent of the intensive care unit beds and 31 percent of all hospital beds.

In the personal protective equipment category, all categories are at least five months.

A combined 13 metropolitan counties have the state’s three largest cities and account for 38.5 percent of the deaths (2,008) and 45.9 percent of the cases (164,260).

In the Charlotte area, Mecklenburg County has 445 deaths and 42,933 positive cases, Gaston County has 181 deaths and 10,109 cases, Rowan County has 130 deaths and 5,623 cases, Cabarrus County has 107 deaths and 6,868 cases, and Union County has 73 deaths and 7,707 cases — a total of 936 deaths and 73,240 cases.

In and near the Triangle area, Wake County has 289 deaths and 28,247 cases, Durham County has 112 deaths and 11,223 cases, Johnston County has 73 deaths and 7,553 cases, and Orange County has 62 deaths and 3,863 cases — a total of 536 deaths and 50,886 cases.

In the interior of the 12-county Piedmont Triad, Guilford County has 239 deaths and 16,509 cases, Forsyth County has 164 deaths and 13,074 cases, Randolph County has 82 deaths and 5,313 cases, and Davidson County has 51 deaths and 5,238 cases — a total of 536 deaths and 40,134 cases.

According to the coronavirus tracker of Johns Hopkins University, available on BladenJournal.com, more than 13.1 million confirmed cases and 265,000 deaths are counted in the U.S. The second-highest case total is in India, with more than 9.3 million.

There are more than 61.9 million cases worldwide, with more than 1.4 million deaths.