Coronavirus: October metrics vastly improved over September, August

ELIZABETHTOWN — Bladen County completed the first half of October with a dramatic improvement over the previous two months in coronavirus numbers.

The county recorded two deaths and 110 cases through Friday’s log of the state Department of Health and Human Services, with 152 recoveries. On Thursday in the county Health Department’s report, there were four people hospitalized among 64 cases considered active.

In contrast, September had 19 deaths and 552 positive tests. Before that, August (17 deaths, 964 positive tests) had eclipsed January (10 deaths, 765 positive tests) as the worst month of the virus in Bladen County. In the 106 days from June 22 to Oct. 5, the county recorded 50 deaths.

Since the pandemic began, Bladen has had 94 deaths, 5,395 positive tests and 5,237 recoveries.

Statewide through Friday, DHHS reported 2,074 hospitalizations. Since the pandemic began, DHHS has recorded 17,456 deaths and 1,446,881 positive tests.

Neither the state nor county adjust test numbers for false positives.

Vaccinations remain strongly encouraged. They are available, as are booster shots for those eliligible, at the county Health Department and at Bladen County Hospital. Testing is also available.

Bladen County Schools is offering COVID-19 testing as well; students must register. Go to the school district’s website, bladen.k12.nc.us, for the link.

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.

Two nursing homes and eight schools in the county were listed in last Tuesday’s once-a-week report on outbreaks and clusters, respectively. On the outbreak list are Elizabethtown Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center and Bladen East Health and Rehab. On the cluster list are West Bladen and East Bladen high schools; Bladenboro, Elizabethtown and Tar Heel middle schools; Bladenboro and Elizabethtown primary schools; and Emereau: Bladen Charter School.

The next report is due on Tuesday. Numbers are cumulative from varying points and do not indicate active. The state defines outbreaks as two or more cases at congregate living settings, and clusters as five or more at child care facilities or schools.

With 96 percent of the state’s hospitals reporting, DHHS says there is availability of 63 percent of the ventilators, 15 percent of the intensive care unit beds and 21 percent of all hospital beds.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on its website Monday morning, says Bladen County has 32.6 percent (10,654) of the total population fully vaccinated and 41.5 percent (13,595) partially vaccinated.

Bladen and all 99 other counties in the state remain listed as red, or showing a high level of community transmission. The period measured is Oct. 11 to Sunday for case rate, and Oct. 8 to Thursday for percent positivity.

The DHHS postal ZIP code report lists 1,714 cases in Elizabethtown and White Lake since the pandemic began; 1,543 in Bladenboro; 698 in Clarkton; 526 in East Arcadia; 302 in White Oak; 268 in Tar Heel; 134 in Council; and 114 in Kelly.

There are 34 fatalities listed for the ZIP in Bladenboro; 31 in Elizabethtown and White Lake; nine in East Arcadia; eight in Clarkton; five in Tar Heel; four in Council; three in White Oak; and one in Kelly. The Dublin ZIP code disappeared from the state report on Jan. 29.

In adjacent counties to Bladen, there have been 1,321 deaths and 98,452 cases. Cumberland has had 451 deaths and 44,099 cases; Robeson has had 422 deaths and 24,681 cases; Columbus has had 221 deaths and 9,894 cases; Sampson has had 130 deaths and 11,069 cases; and Pender has had 97 deaths and 8,709 cases.

A combined 13 metropolitan counties have the state’s three largest cities and account for 36.9 percent of the deaths (6,449) and 45.3 percent of the cases (655,844) since the pandemic began.

In the Charlotte area, Mecklenburg County has had 1,211 deaths and 154,718 positive cases, Gaston County has had 595 deaths and 39,320 cases, Rowan County has had 437 deaths and 25,869 cases, Cabarrus County has had 325 deaths and 32,263 cases, and Union County has had 328 deaths and 35,655 cases — a total of 2,896 deaths and 287,825 cases.

In and near the Triangle area, Wake County has had 875 deaths and 126,788 cases, Johnston County has had 316 deaths and 31,817 cases, Durham County has had 257 deaths and 33,963 cases, and Orange County has had 109 deaths and 11,600 cases — a total of 1,557 deaths and 204,168 cases.

In the interior of the 12-county Piedmont Triad, Guilford County has had 857 deaths and 66,455 cases, Forsyth County has had 540 deaths and 50,752 cases, Randolph County has had 303 deaths and 21,297 cases, and Davidson County has had 296 deaths and 25,347 cases — a total of 1,996 deaths and 163,851 cases.

According to the coronavirus tracker of Johns Hopkins University, available on BladenJournal.com, more than 49.6 million confirmed cases and 724,000 deaths are counted in the U.S. The second-highest case total is in India, with more than 34 million.

There have been more than 240.7 million cases worldwide, with more than 4.9 million deaths.