Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continued to rise from 54,639 Tuesday to 56,301 Wednesday. There have been 1,322 deaths in the state attributed to the virus, an increase of 26 overnight. The state currently has 915 COVID-19 associated hospitalizations and 36,921 people are presumed recovered from the virus in North Carolina.

Beaufort County had a total of 64 confirmed cases as of Wednesday. Fifty of the 64 confirmed cases have recovered from COVID-19. Fourteen cases remain active; one person is currently hospitalized, according to the Wednesday update from Beaufort County Emergency Services and Beaufort County Health Department.

Twenty-two of Beaufort County’s positive cases were asymptomatic, meaning they experienced no symptoms.

Of Beaufort County’s total of 64 cases, contact tracing of these known, confirmed cases has concluded:

• 38 cases have been attributed to direct contact with another known positive case;
• two cases were related to travel to a known outbreak area;
• 23 cases are attributed to community spread;
• one case is still under investigation.

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

The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. rose from 2,332,850 Tuesday to 2,366,961 Wednesday; these numbers include 647,548 people in the U.S. presumed recovered from COVID-19. The U.S. has the highest number of cases worldwide; worldwide, there have been 9,326,423 confirmed cases. Nationwide, 121,746 deaths have been attributed to the virus, an increase of 717 overnight.

Eastern North Carolina counties with current cases as of Wednesday include: Bertie (138), Beaufort (64), Bladen (333), Brunswick (391), Carteret (64), Camden (23), Chowan (19), Columbus (484), Craven (328), Currituck (16); Dare (31), Duplin (1,369), Edgecombe (284), Gates (26), Greene (169), Halifax (288), Hertford (156), Hyde (6), Jones (29), Lenoir (344), Martin (119), New Hanover (655), Northampton (191), Onslow (224), Pamlico (16), Pasquotank (172), Pender (293), Perquimans (32), Pitt (602), Sampson (932), Tyrrell (6), Washington (37), Wayne (1,703) and Wilson (639). Durham (3,340), Mecklenburg (9,333) and Wake (4,253) counties have the most cases in North Carolina.

There had been 1,833 tests completed in Beaufort County as of Tuesday, with 1,669 negatives, 59 positives and 105 pending. These are cumulative numbers and include tests performed at the health department and reporting private medical facilities through the county. Five of Beaufort County’s cases were tested in other counties but are Beaufort County residents.

The update reminded county residents to “practice the Three W’s:” wear face coverings, wait six feet apart and wash your hands often.