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The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continued to rise from 5,279 on Wednesday to 5,594 on Thursday. There have been 144 deaths in the state attributed to the virus and currently 452 hospitalizations. According to Beaufort County Health Department Director Jim Madson, four of those hospitalizations have been Beaufort County COVID-19 cases; two of those cases are currently hospitalized.

In Beaufort County, there were 14 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. Eight of the 14 confirmed cases have recovered from COVID-19. Six cases remain active, according to the Thursday update from Beaufort County’s Office of Emergency Services.

The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. rose from 619,604 on Wednesday to 654,301 Thursday; these numbers include the 53,697 people in the U.S. known to have recovered from COVID-19. The U.S. has the greatest number of cases worldwide, and there are likely many more cases as those exhibiting symptoms are now being encouraged to stay home rather than get tested. Nationwide, 31,628 deaths have been attributed to the virus, an increase of 3,868 overnight.

North Carolina has confirmed cases in 93 counties.

Of Beaufort County’s total of 14 cases, contact tracing of these known, confirmed cases has concluded:

• one case has been contributed to direct contact with a known patient from another county;
• two cases were related to travel to a known outbreak area;
• 11 cases are attributed to community spread.

All active cases are self-isolating, the update reads.

Eastern North Carolina counties with current cases include: Bertie (17), Beaufort (14), Bladen (2), Brunswick (36), Carteret (22), Camden (1), Chowan (5), Columbus (41), Craven (31), Currituck (3); Dare (15), Duplin (23), Edgecombe (42), Gates (4), Greene (16), Halifax (30), Hertford (4), Jones (9), Lenoir (16), Martin (7), New Hanover (63), Northampton (69), Onslow (37), Pamlico (6), Pasquotank (16), Pender (5), Perquimans (12), Pitt (80), Sampson (17), Tyrrell (4), Washington (18), Wayne (104) and Wilson (83). Durham (376), Mecklenburg (1,084) and Wake (556) counties have the most cases in North Carolina.

There have been 168 tests completed in Beaufort County as of Thursday, with 150 negatives, 12 positives and six pending. These are cumulative numbers and include tests performed at the health department and reporting private medical facilities through the county. Two of Beaufort County’s positive cases were tested in other counties.

Announcements of cases attributed to “community spread” will continue for the foreseeable future. This is a normal and expected progression of communicable disease pandemics such as COVID-19. However, frequent hand washing and continuing to practice social distancing is the best way to fight community spread,” the update reads. “Areas with high population densities such as Wake, Durham and Mecklenburg counties will continue to experience the greatest concentration of outbreaks, with their neighboring counties being the next highest. This is an expected trend and is now evident by reviewing the NCDHHS state map tracker at www.ncdhhs.gov/covid-19-case-count-nc.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and Beaufort County Health Department/Emergency Services recommend wearing a cloth face mask while in a public setting where you have less ability to control social distancing. Currently, cloth face masks are for sale from the following: AVA Formal, 252-946-0889, $12 single or $10 for two or more; Ingrid Cabaniss, 252-258-4246, $6.50 per mask; Stephanie Cabe, bearabows@yahoo.com, $5 each, shipping is $3.75.