Coronavirus: Third death this month, 22nd in pandemic logged in Bladen County

ELIZABETHTOWN — Bladen County has recorded its third death and 241st case connected to coronavirus in December.

The state Department of Health and Human Services daily update included the fatality and linked it to Bladenboro by postal ZIP code. There were 21 cases added Wednesday, pushing to 1,584 the total since the pandemic began. There have been 22 deaths.

The county Health Department report showed 176 active cases, the most for a single day thus far. It tops the 173 recorded on Dec. 6.

There were seven recoveries added Wednesday, pushing to 1,386 the total since the pandemic began. Four people are hospitalized.

The number of cases for December is just 30 shy of the worst month (June, 271) so far.

The DHHS postal ZIP code report lists 521 cases in Elizabethtown and White Lake since the pandemic began; 330 in Bladenboro; 183 in Clarkton; 173 in East Arcadia; 97 in White Oak; 85 in Tar Heel; 38 in Council; 33 in Kelly; and 16 in Dublin.

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

Wednesday’s totals from the state included:

• 5,979 deaths, up 98 from Tuesday’s noon report. Forty-three were in congregate living settings.

• 451,874 cases, up 5,273.

• 2,811 hospitalized, up 76.

• 6,106,202 tests, up 39,998.

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 39 percent of the cases, 50-64 has 22 percent, 18-24 has 12 percent, 17-and-under has 12 percent, 65-74 has 9 percent and 75-or-older has 6 percent. Ages for 18 of 21 deaths are suppressed; two are ages 75-and-older and one is ages 25-49. The latest death logged in Wednesday’s report is not included yet.

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 393 deaths and 29,773 cases. Cumberland has 127 deaths and 11,592 cases; Robeson has 114 deaths and 8,485 cases; Columbus has 77 deaths and 3,080 cases; Sampson has 56 deaths and 4,287 cases; and Pender has 19 deaths and 2,329 cases.

Congregate living settings in North Carolina have totaled 2,969 deaths and 41,530 positive cases. Outbreaks have been identified and are active at 298 nursing homes, 183 residential care facilities, 53 correctional institutions and six other facilities. Of those, nine are in Cumberland, six in Robeson, three each in Sampson, Columbus and Pender, and one in Bladen.

Bladen and Sampson each are listed with one cluster.

With 97 percent of the state’s hospitals reporting, DHHS says there is availability of 69 percent of the ventilators, 16 percent of the intensive care unit beds and 21 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 38.4 percent of the deaths (2,298) and 45.9 percent of the cases (207,366).

In the Charlotte area, Mecklenburg County has 491 deaths and 53,076 positive cases, Gaston County has 203 deaths and 12,812 cases, Rowan County has 151 deaths and 7,319 cases, Cabarrus County has 120 deaths and 9,068 cases, and Union County has 87 deaths and 10,055 cases — a total of 1,052 deaths and 92,330 cases.

In and near the Triangle area, Wake County has 328 deaths and 36,126 cases, Durham County has 129 deaths and 13,066 cases, Johnston County has 90 deaths and 9,528 cases, and Orange County has 62 deaths and 4,514 cases — a total of 609 deaths and 63,234 cases.

In the interior of the 12-county Piedmont Triad, Guilford County has 282 deaths and 20,878 cases, Forsyth County has 189 deaths and 17,224 cases, Randolph County has 105 deaths and 6,804 cases, and Davidson County has 61 deaths and 6,896 cases — a total of 637 deaths and 51,802 cases.

According to the coronavirus tracker of Johns Hopkins University, available on BladenJournal.com, more than 16.8 million confirmed cases and 306,000 deaths are counted in the U.S. The second-highest case total is in India, with more than 9.9 million.

There have been more than 73.9 million cases worldwide, with more than 1.6 million deaths.