NC COVID death reports increase by over 100 as hospitalizations drop below 2,600
North Carolina added 113 deaths to the state’s COVID-19 death toll on Friday, but the number of people hospitalized has fallen to its lowest level in more than a month.
Deaths do not all occur on the date they are reported. The state Department of Health and Human Services updates its numbers as information becomes available. According to the most recent DHHS data, the deadliest day of the pandemic was Jan. 15, when 101 people died.
DHHS added 169 deaths and 150 deaths to the total on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Wednesday’s count was the most deaths that the state had added to its tally in single day since the pandemic began.
Over the last week, DHHS has added an average of 98 deaths per day to the state’s overall number of deaths.
As of Friday, 9,841 North Carolinians have died due to the virus.
Of those deaths, 2,322 have died due to the virus in 2021, according to the most recent data from DHHS. Eight deaths are missing dates of death, as of Friday.
Statewide hospitalizations dropped by 131 to 2,523 with 97% of hospitals reporting, according to DHHS.
It’s the 10th straight day that hospitalizations have decreased and the first time since Dec. 14 that fewer than 2,600 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19 in North Carolina.
DHHS reported 5,547 new cases on Friday, an increase of 52 from Thursday’s new case count.
Over the last few weeks, new case reports have steadily decreased. The last time that DHHS reported over 7,000 new cases in day was Jan. 23.
Case and hospitalization data reported by DHHS are preliminary and subject to change upon further investigation.
ICU and hospital capacity
DHHS reported 426 available intensive care unit beds on Friday, an increase of 31 from Thursday.
Of the 2,041 ICU beds in use, 599 are adult COVID-19 patients, a decrease of 35 from Thursday’s total.
Overall, the number of adult ICU patients statewide has decreased steadily from the 880 reported on Jan. 16.
Available inpatient beds across the state are now at 4,932, an increase of 41 from Thursday.
The inpatient beds in use are not all being used by COVID-19 patients, and the fluctuation in available beds does not indicate a surge in patients, according to DHHS.
As of Wednesday, 83% of ICU beds and 77% of inpatient beds are in use statewide.
Vaccinations
As of Thursday, 905,425 first doses of the vaccine and 232,815 second doses have been administered in North Carolina.
The COVID-19 vaccine requires two doses, given roughly four weeks apart, in order to be fully effective.
Of the first doses that have arrived from the federal government in North Carolina, 96% have been administered. Overall, including second doses, 80% of doses have been administered.
Vaccines at long-term care facilities are administered by a partnership of the federal government, Walgreens and CVS. Through that partnership, another 120,884 doses have been administered in North Carolina, as of Thursday.
Of all the doses that have arrived in North Carolina for long-term care facilities, 59% of first doses have been administered. When second doses are included, 36% have been administered.
Combining doses administered through the federal long-term facility program and through the state, 1,259,124 doses have been administered in North Carolina.
DHHS has created an online portal at findmygroup.nc.gov for people trying to find out what vaccination group they are in.
DHHS has also opened a vaccine help line at 888-675-4567 that will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The help line provides callers with general information about the COVID-19 vaccine including information on eligibility, clinical questions about the vaccine, and how to find vaccine locations.
People can also enter their address or ZIP code at myspot.nc.gov/map-view to find their nearest vaccine location.
General information on the vaccine, specifically as it relates to North Carolina, can be found at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/vaccines.
This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 1:33 PM with the headline "NC COVID death reports increase by over 100 as hospitalizations drop below 2,600."