RALEIGH, N.C. (WAVY) — North Carolina continues to see rising COVID-19 cases as states across the country, including several in the South, are reporting record numbers of cases and hospitalizations.
The state is implementing a face coverings mandate to help prevent spread, which starts at 5 p.m. Friday. Gov. Roy Cooper is also delaying the state’s move to phase 3 for several weeks.
Daily numbers
- Cases: (+1,635, 58,818 total), still trending up
- Deaths: (+13, 1,303 total), trending down overall
- Hospitalizations: (+1, 892 total) — still trending up
- Tests (+21,147, 836,725) — of record 24,293 tests conducted on Thursday, 10% were positive, showing the virus is spreading
Roughly half the new cases across the U.S. are under the age of 35, Vice President Mike Pence said Friday in a plea to young people to take the virus more seriously. In North Carolina, 22% of cases are in people 24 and younger, with 45% of cases between ages 25 to 49.
Here’s the latest count for WAVY’s viewing area:
- Gates: 26 cases — 2 deaths
- Dare: 32 cases — 1 death
- Currituck: 16 cases
- Pasquotank: 180 cases — 15 deaths (+8 cases)
- Perquimans: 32 cases — 2 deaths
- Hertford: 157 cases — 10 deaths
- Bertie: 140 cases — 4 deaths (+1 case)
- Chowan: 19 cases
- Camden: 23 cases
Meanwhile the United States reported 40,000 new cases on Friday, a new one-day record, with Florida, Texas and Arizona up top.