Coronavirus: State health director pleads with residents to help slow the spread

ELIZABETHTOWN — Thirteen coronavirus cases coupled with six added recoveries lifted the Bladen County active case total to a record-high 166 on Saturday.

The county has had 1,241 recoveries and 1,427 cases since the pandemic began. Six people are hospitalized, down one from Friday, the county Health Department said. Twenty people have died.

In the state report, Dr. Mandy Cohen issued a statement that read in part, “In less than a week, we went from exceeding 5,000 new cases reported in one day to exceeding 6,000. This is very worrisome. We are seeing our highest rates of tests that come back positive despite the fact we are doing a lot of testing. This indicates we have even more viral spread across our state right now. We have record number of hospitalizations and people in the ICU. I am asking each North Carolinian to take personal responsibility for their actions and slowing the spread of this virus.”

The Department of Health and Human Services postal ZIP code report lists 471 cases in Elizabethtown and White Lake since the pandemic began; 291 in Bladenboro; 163 in East Arcadia; 150 in Clarkton; 86 in White Oak; 80 in Tar Heel; 31 in Kelly; 30 in Council; and 15 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 Tar Heel, Bladenboro, Clarkton, Council, White Oak and Kelly.

Saturday’s totals from the state included:

• 5,516 deaths, up 49 from Friday’s noon report.

• 388,552 cases, up 6,018.

• 2,171 hospitalized, up 14.

• 5,521,760 tests, up 60,540.

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 11 percent, 65-74 has 9 percent and 75-or-older has 5 percent. Only 19 of the 20 deaths are in the data, and the age breakdown on 16 of them is now suppressed 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 20 percent, 18-24 has 15 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 374 deaths and 26,436 cases. Cumberland has 120 deaths and 10,050 cases; Robeson has 114 deaths and 7,686 cases; Columbus has 74 deaths and 2,855 cases; Sampson has 49 deaths and 3,853 cases; and Pender has 17 deaths and 1,992 cases.

Congregate living settings in North Carolina have totaled 2,767 deaths and 37,671 positive cases. Outbreaks have been identified and are active at 256 nursing homes, 152 residential care facilities, 46 correctional institutions and six other facilities. Of those, eight are in Robeson, five in Cumberland, three in Columbus, two each in Sampson 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 70 percent of the ventilators, 18 percent of the intensive care unit beds and 22 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 (2,124) and 45.9 percent of the cases (178,369).

In the Charlotte area, Mecklenburg County has 467 deaths and 46,199 positive cases, Gaston County has 188 deaths and 10,983 cases, Rowan County has 137 deaths and 6,169 cases, Cabarrus County has 109 deaths and 7,570 cases, and Union County has 76 deaths and 8,498 cases — a total of 977 deaths and 79,419 cases.

In and near the Triangle area, Wake County has 304 deaths and 31,029 cases, Durham County has 125 deaths and 11,789 cases, Johnston County has 78 deaths and 8,152 cases, and Orange County has 62 deaths and 4,080 cases — a total of 569 deaths and 55,050 cases.

In the interior of the 12-county Piedmont Triad, Guilford County has 259 deaths and 17,868 cases, Forsyth County has 171 deaths and 14,448 cases, Randolph County has 93 deaths and 5,811 cases, and Davidson County has 55 deaths and 5,773 cases — a total of 578 deaths and 43,900 cases.

According to the coronavirus tracker of Johns Hopkins University, available on BladenJournal.com, more than 14.5 million confirmed cases and 280,000 deaths are counted in the U.S. The second-highest case total is in India, with more than 9.6 million.

There are more than 66.3 million cases worldwide, with more than 1.5 million deaths.