Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on April 12
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We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date news about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases top 4,500
North Carolina has at least 4,582 reported cases of coronavirus as of Sunday afternoon, and 90 people have died, according to state and county records.
More than 170 new cases were reported Sunday.
Mecklenburg County has 954 reported cases and 12 deaths, the most in the state.
In the Triangle, Wake County has 470 reported cases, Durham County has 278, Orange County has 150, and Johnston County has 97.
At least 331 people across North Carolina are hospitalized with the coronavirus, a decrease from 362 on Saturday, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
First inmate dies at Butner prison
An inmate at the Federal Correctional Complex at Butner died from coronavirus complications Saturday, federal officials said Sunday.
Charles Richard Rootes, 81, had preexisting conditions and was put on a ventilator on March 27, the day after he was taken to the hospital after going into respiratory failure.
More than 40 inmates and 20 workers at the medium-security facility where Rootes was being held have tested positive for the virus, officials say.
Group demands decrease in restrictions
A group, ReopenNC, is criticizing Gov. Roy Cooper’s coronavirus response and demanding restrictions be lifted and businesses allowed to reopen.
But state leaders say the stay-at-home orders are necessary and working to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The group started a Facebook page on April 7, and it has since grown to more than 15,000 members.
The stay-at-home order is in effect until April 29, but Gov. Cooper says he’ll consult scientific modeling on the spread of the disease and consider economic factors when deciding whether to extend it.
Nursing home outbreaks
A Chatham County nursing home now has at least 57 cases of the coronavirus, health officials said Sunday.
The Laurels at Chatham originally reported six cases of the virus Friday, but increased testing at the facility showed the virus spread quickly.
All residents and staff were tested.
At least 14 people have tested positive for the coronavirus at a nursing home in Cabarrus County, health officials say.
More than 300 residents and workers at the facility, Five Oaks Rehab in Concord, have been tested for the virus. Nearly 200 of those tests are pending.
Health officials have identified 28 coronavirus outbreaks at nursing homes and seven at residential care facilities across North Carolina.
Easter church services
Most churches across North Carolina will host Easter services online Sunday.
Chris Partin, pastor of Plymouth Church in southern Wake County, told The News & Observer more than 2,000 people have watched his sermons online since the governor banned large gatherings.
He joked: “All of a sudden, I’m a televangelist.”
A few churches will have drive-in services broadcast to congregants who remain in their cars, The News & Observer reports.
Fourth death reported at nursing home
A fourth resident at a Triangle nursing home has died from COVID-19, Orange County officials said Saturday.
The four were at at PruittHealth-Carolina Point in Durham, where 66 residents and 20 staff members have tested positive for the virus, The News & Observer reports.
Mecklenburg warns of unapproved tests
Mecklenburg County health officials say at least one rapid test for the coronavirus being used in the area is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and may not be accurate.
“It has a very low sensitivity early in the illness, which means a higher likelihood of a false negative result,” Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said in a statement, according to The Charlotte Observer.
She warned the unapproved tests could make it more likely that infected people won’t know their true status and then pass the virus on to others.
This story was originally published April 12, 2020 at 6:14 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on April 12."
