Coronavirus: County hospitalizations climb to 11

ELIZABETHTOWN — Bladen County’s cases outpaced recoveries in additions to the daily update on the coronavirus Wednesday.

There were 31 cases added, to 1,814 since the pandemic began; and 23 recoveries added, to 1,599. The county counts 191 cases as active, with 11 people hospitalized. That’s the most for a single day.

Twenty-four have died.

The state report removed the cluster, in its daily aggregate listing, for Bladen County that was linked to Emereau: Bladen Charter School. The school has been out since Nov. 24, when the first semester ended, and returns next week.

The state also, in its report, said there were technical issues in reporting data on Tuesday. Thus, reports for Tuesday, Wednesday and coming Thursday each are not actual 24-hour windows.

The county in December has logged 471 cases, 422 recoveries and five deaths. That’s 200 cases more than the worst previous month of June.

The state Department of Health and Human Services postal ZIP code report lists 613 cases in Elizabethtown and White Lake since the pandemic began; 387 in Bladenboro; 227 in Clarkton; 198 in East Arcadia; 110 in White Oak; 95 in Tar Heel; 52 in Council; 38 in Kelly; and 20 in Dublin.

There are 10 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. The latest is not attached to a ZIP code unique to Bladen County.

Wednesday’s totals from the state included:

• 6,729 deaths, up 155 from Tuesday’s noon report. Only 13 were reported Tuesday.

• 532,830 cases, up 8,551.

• 3,339 hospitalized, down 38.

• 6,835,632 tests, up 35,577.

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 24 deaths are suppressed; three are ages 75-and-older, two are ages 65-74, and one is ages 25-49.

Statewide, the ages 25-49 category has had 40 percent of the cases, 50-64 has 20 percent, 18-24 has 14 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 60 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 439 deaths and 34,667 cases. Cumberland has 136 deaths and 13,789 cases; Robeson has 137 deaths and 9,686 cases; Columbus has 83 deaths and 3,607 cases; Sampson has 61 deaths and 4,863 cases; and Pender has 22 deaths and 2,722 cases.

Congregate living settings in North Carolina have totaled 3,234 deaths and 46,153 positive cases. Outbreaks have been identified and are active at 319 nursing homes, 230 residential care facilities, 60 correctional institutions and five other facilities. Of those, 12 are in Cumberland, nine in Robeson, four in Columbus, three each in Sampson and Pender, and one in Bladen.

Cumberland has one cluster.

With 97 percent of the state’s hospitals reporting, DHHS says there is availability of 67 percent of the ventilators, 16 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 four months.

A combined 13 metropolitan counties have the state’s three largest cities and account for 38.5 percent of the deaths (2,593) and 45.9 percent of the cases (244,683).

In the Charlotte area, Mecklenburg County has 553 deaths and 61,990 positive cases, Gaston County has 239 deaths and 15,308 cases, Rowan County has 167 deaths and 8,881 cases, Cabarrus County has 144 deaths and 11,061 cases, and Union County has 97 deaths and 12,333 cases — a total of 1,200 deaths and 109,573 cases.

In and near the Triangle area, Wake County has 345 deaths and 42,951 cases, Durham County has 140 deaths and 14,650 cases, Johnston County has 104 deaths and 11,385 cases, and Orange County has 64 deaths and 4,989 cases — a total of 653 deaths and 73,975 cases.

In the interior of the 12-county Piedmont Triad, Guilford County has 311 deaths and 24,206 cases, Forsyth County has 221 deaths and 20,374 cases, Randolph County has 123 deaths and 7,988 cases, and Davidson County has 85 deaths and 8,567 cases — a total of 740 deaths and 61,135 cases.

According to the coronavirus tracker of Johns Hopkins University, available on BladenJournal.com, more than 19.6 million confirmed cases and 340,000 deaths are counted in the U.S. The second-highest case total is in India, with more than 10.2 million.

There have been more than 82.4 million cases worldwide, with more than 1.7 million deaths.