Three new cases reported in Iredell County as state’s total surpasses 10,500

Special to Iredell Free News

RALEIGH — Gov. Roy Cooper and NC DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen shared an update on where North Carolina stands in the fight against COVID-19 on Thursday and urged North Carolinians not to let their guard down.

“North Carolinians have made tremendous sacrifices and it is making a difference,” Cooper said. “We remain hopeful that the trends will be stable enough to move into Phase 1 next week.”

“We need keep up the actions that will slow the spread of the virus,” Cohen added. “The good news is that we know we can do this. If we stay home now to protect our loved ones and our communities, we can put ourselves on a path to begin easing restrictions and moving forward as planned.”

As of Thursday, North Carolina has 10,509 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19. Some 546 people are hospitalized across the state, and 378 deaths have been attributed to the coronavirus.

In Iredell County, health officials reported three new cases on Thursday, increasing the county’s total to 113. Thirty-nine people are currently isolating at home and four are hospitalized in the county.

Cooper and Cohen updated on where North Carolina stands on the following key metrics:

Sustained Leveling or Decreased Trajectory in COVID-Like Illness (CLI) Surveillance over 14 Days

Currently, North Carolina’s syndromic surveillance trend for COVID-like illness is level over the past 14 days, but has been on an uptick over the past seven days.

Sustained Leveling or Decreased Trajectory of Lab-Confirmed Cases over 14 Days

Currently, North Carolina’s trajectory of lab-confirmed cases over the last 14 days is still increasing.

Sustained Leveling or Decreased Trajectory in Percent of Tests Returning Positive over 14 Days

Currently, North Carolina’s trajectory in percent of tests returning positive over the last 14 days is decreasing.

Sustained Leveling or Decreased Trajectory in Hospitalizations Over 14 Days

Currently, North Carolina’s trajectory of hospitalizations over the last 14 days is largely level.

In addition to these metrics, the state continues building capacity to be able to adequately respond to an increase in virus spread. These areas include:

♦ Increase in Laboratory Testing: North Carolina has surpassed 4,000 tests for six of the last 9 days with 6,000 tests reported Wednesday.

♦ Increase in Tracing Capability: NC DHHS announced the Carolina Community Tracing Collaborative, a new partnership with Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) and the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) to double the state’s current contact tracing capabilities. The Collaborative has started recruiting for these positions.

♦ Availability of Personal Protective Equipment: The state has a 30-day supply of most personal protective equipment, except for gowns and N95 masks.

“We need everyone to continue following the Stay-at-Home order right now so that we can move to the next phases of easing restrictions. Complacency could risk lives and undo these plans,” Cooper added.