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A seventh and eighth COVID-19-positive patients have died in Beaufort County, according to the Beaufort County Health Department.

Both were 69 years old and died on Wednesday, according Jim Madson, director of BCHD.

Beaufort County had a total 453 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday, an increase of nine overnight. There are currently 157 active cases in the county and 11 people are hospitalized, according to the Wednesday 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 nearly 350 new positive cases since Fourth of July weekend. According to the update, 289 of those positive cases have recovered from the virus.

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;
• 184 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 5,130,732 Tuesday to 5,181,637 Wednesday; these numbers include 1,714,960 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 20,445,252 confirmed cases. Nationwide, 165,531 deaths have been attributed to the virus, an increase of 928 overnight.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continued to rise from 138,743 Tuesday to 139,739 Wednesday. There have been 2,290 deaths in the state attributed to the virus, an increase of 43 overnight. The state currently has 1,062 COVID-19 associated hospitalizations and 116,969 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 Wednesday numbered (does not include number of recovered): Bertie (287), Beaufort (453), Bladen (627), Brunswick (1,273), Carteret (376), Camden (75), Chowan (158), Columbus (931), Craven (753), Currituck (77); Dare (210), Duplin (2,015), Edgecombe (672), Gates (47), Greene (333), Halifax (721), Hertford (358), Hyde (46), Jones (99), Lenoir (599), Martin (268), New Hanover (2,696), Northampton (351), Onslow (1,138), Pamlico (73), Pasquotank (423), Pender (669), Perquimans (88), Pitt (2,105), Sampson (1,511), Tyrrell (99), Washington (136), Wayne (2,445) and Wilson (1,514). Durham (6,231), Mecklenburg (22,612) and Wake (12,263) counties have the most cases in North Carolina.

There had been 5,242 tests completed in Beaufort County as of Wednesday, with 4,721 negatives, 441 positives and 80 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.

“There were approximately 1,000 tests completed in Beaufort County last week,” the update says.

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