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Beaufort County had a total 417 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Friday, an increase of 11 overnight. There are currently 128 active cases in the county and 12 people are hospitalized, according to the Friday update from Beaufort County Emergency Services and Beaufort County Health Department.

Beaufort County’s number of total cases has increased dramatically over the last month, with more than 300 new positive cases since Fourth of July weekend. According to the update, 287 of those positive cases have recovered from the virus. As of Friday, there have been two COVID-19-related deaths in the county, according to the update.

Contact tracing of the known, confirmed cases has concluded:

• 191 cases have been attributed to direct contact with another known positive case;
• two cases were related to travel to a known outbreak area;
• 75 cases are attributed to community spread;
• 149 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 4,870,368 Thursday to 4,918,927 Friday; these numbers include 1,598,624 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 19,192,661 confirmed cases. Nationwide, 160,737 deaths have been attributed to the virus, an increase of 873 overnight.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continued to rise from 131,802  Thursday to 133,337 Friday. There have been 2,160 deaths in the state attributed to the virus, an increase of 34 overnight. The state currently has 1,123 COVID-19 associated hospitalizations and 105,093 people are presumed recovered from the virus in North Carolina.

“Sixty-four of our total positives were asymptomatic at the time of their test,” the update reads.

Eastern North Carolina counties total COVID-19 cases as of Friday numbered (does not include number of recovered): Bertie (263), Beaufort (417), Bladen (608), Brunswick (1,234), Carteret (332), Camden (68), Chowan (150), Columbus (881), Craven (695), Currituck (72); Dare (206), Duplin (1,970), Edgecombe (626), Gates (46), Greene (324), Halifax (678), Hertford (316), Hyde (38), Jones (79), Lenoir (558), Martin (258), New Hanover (2,566), Northampton (334), Onslow (1,026), Pamlico (67), Pasquotank (388), Pender (643), Perquimans (80), Pitt (1,899), Sampson (1,455), Tyrrell (95), Washington (132), Wayne (2,401) and Wilson (1,476). Durham (6,080), Mecklenburg (21,876) and Wake (11,774) counties have the most cases in North Carolina.

There had been 4,963 tests completed in Beaufort County as of Friday, with 4,373 negatives, 408 positives and 182 pending. These are cumulative numbers and include tests performed at the health department and reporting private medical facilities through the county. Nine 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.