Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continued to rise from 10,731 on Thursday to 11,005 on Friday. There have been 414 deaths in the state attributed to the virus, an increase of 11 overnight. There are currently 547 COVID-19 associated hospitalizations. According to Beaufort County Health Department Director Jim Madson, four of those hospitalizations have been Beaufort County COVID-19 cases.

In Beaufort County, there were 22 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday. Nineteen of the 22 confirmed cases have recovered from COVID-19. Three cases remain active, one of which is hospitalized.

Five of Beaufort County’s positive cases were asymptomatic, meaning they experienced no symptoms, according to the Friday update from Beaufort County’s Office of Emergency Services and Beaufort County Health Department.

The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. rose from 1,067,061 on Thursday to 1,094,640 on Friday; these numbers include the 159,663 people in the U.S. known to have recovered from COVID-19. The U.S. has the highest number of cases worldwide; worldwide, there have been 3,329,740 positive cases. Nationwide, 64,324 deaths have been attributed to the virus, an increase of 1,464 overnight.

North Carolina has confirmed cases in 98 counties.

Of Beaufort County’s total of 22 cases, contact tracing of these known, confirmed cases has concluded:

• seven 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;
• 13 cases are attributed to community spread.

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

Eastern North Carolina counties with current cases include: Bertie (44), Beaufort (22), Bladen (25), Brunswick (43), Carteret (29), Camden (1), Chowan (7), Columbus (153), Craven (42), Currituck (5); Dare (15), Duplin (103), Edgecombe (96), Gates (7), Greene (17), Halifax (58), Hertford (39), Hyde (1), Jones (15), Lenoir (68), Martin (16), New Hanover (79), Northampton (87), Onslow (46), Pamlico (7), Pasquotank (36), Pender (13), Perquimans (14), Pitt (124), Sampson (65), Tyrrell (4), Washington (24), Wayne (658) and Wilson (165). Durham (736), Mecklenburg (1,651) and Wake (845) counties have the most cases in North Carolina.

There have been 314 tests completed in Beaufort County as of Friday, with 281 negatives, 19 positives and 14 pending. These are cumulative numbers and include tests performed at the health department and reporting private medical facilities through the county.

The CDC this week updated its list of possible symptoms of COVID-19, in addition to cough, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing and fever, to include chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell. Those with the following emergency warning signs for COVID-19 should seek medical attention immediately: trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to arouse, bluish lips or face. Consult a medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.