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The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continued to rise from 6,596 cases on Sunday to 6,842 cases Monday. There have been 202 deaths in the state attributed to the virus and currently 373 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 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday. Ten of the 15 confirmed cases have recovered from COVID-19. Five cases remain active, according to the Monday update from Beaufort County’s Office of Emergency Services.

The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. rose from 755,533 cases on Sunday to 776,513 Monday; these numbers include the 71,581 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, 41,313 deaths have been attributed to the virus, an increase of 852 overnight.

North Carolina has confirmed cases in 94 counties.

Of Beaufort County’s total of 15 cases, contact tracing of these known, confirmed cases has concluded:

• two cases have been attributed 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 (24), Beaufort (15), Bladen (2), Brunswick (36), Carteret (24), Camden (1), Chowan (6), Columbus (59), Craven (36), Currituck (3); Dare (15), Duplin (26), Edgecombe (58), Gates (4), Greene (14), Halifax (33), Hertford (9), Jones (9), Lenoir (21), Martin (9), New Hanover (68), Northampton (72), Onslow (37), Pamlico (6), Pasquotank (32), Pender (8), Perquimans (8), Pitt (93), Sampson (22), Tyrrell (4), Washington (21), Wayne (572) and Wilson (116). Mecklenburg (1,210) and Wake (599) counties have the most cases in North Carolina.

Wayne County cases rose dramatically over the weekend, as more than 330 inmates and 13 staff members tested positive for COVID-19 in the Neuse Correctional Institute in Goldsboro.

There have been 193 tests completed in Beaufort County as of Monday, with 173 negatives, 13 positives and seven 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.

Cases in North Carolina were projected to peak on April 17.