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The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continued to rise from 79,656 Thursday to 81,475 Friday. There have been 1,493 deaths in the state attributed to the virus, an increase of 16 overnight. The state currently has 1,046 COVID-19 associated hospitalizations and 55,318 people are presumed recovered from the virus in North Carolina.

Beaufort County had a total of 139 confirmed cases as of Friday, an increase of seven overnight, however, one person who tested positive does not live in Beaufort County, according to Beaufort County Health Department Director Jim Madson.

Twenty-eight of the 139 cases are active and no one is currently hospitalized, according to the Friday update from Beaufort County Emergency Services and Beaufort County Health Department.

On June 26, Beaufort County Health Department reported its first death in the county of a resident who tested positive for COVID-19. The person, who was the 56th confirmed case in the county, died June 24.

“Two of today’s seven cases were symptomatic at the time of their test, with one attributed to having had contact with another known case, and the other attributed to community spread,” the Friday update reads.

Of Beaufort County’s total of 139 cases on Friday, contact tracing of these known, confirmed cases has concluded:

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

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

The total number of cases that have been confirmed in the U.S. rose from 3,108,141 Thursday to 3,173,446 Friday; these numbers include 983,185 people in the U.S. presumed recovered from COVID-19. The U.S. has the highest total number of cases worldwide; worldwide, there have been 12,439,087 confirmed cases. Nationwide, 133,885 deaths have been attributed to the virus, an increase of 779 overnight.

Eastern North Carolina counties total COVID-19 cases as of Friday numbered (does not include number of recovered): Bertie (155), Beaufort (139), Bladen (424), Brunswick (751), Carteret (133), Camden (34), Chowan (34), Columbus (602), Craven (427), Currituck (23); Dare (103), Duplin (1,646), Edgecombe (370), Gates (29), Greene (200), Halifax (365), Hertford (178), Hyde (28), Jones (39), Lenoir (416), Martin (165), New Hanover (1,430), Northampton (211), Onslow (448), Pamlico (28), Pasquotank (234), Pender (340), Perquimans (39), Pitt (894), Sampson (1,181), Tyrrell (34), Washington (43), Wayne (1,971) and Wilson (886). Durham (4,326), Mecklenburg (14,167) and Wake (7,065) counties have the most cases in North Carolina.

There had been 2,716 tests completed in Beaufort County as of Friday, with 2,455 negatives, 131 positives and 130 pending. These are cumulative numbers and include tests performed at the health department and reporting private medical facilities through the county. Eight 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.