ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County has started off the new year with more than 100 new cases of COVID-19.
The Health Department on Monday reported 130 coronavirus cases for the first four days of 2021. That averages out to 32.5 per day.
The new cases bring the active total to 308, after dropping to 236 on Dec. 31.
December had a total of 806 — more than the previous two months combined. There were 403 positive cases in November and 401 in October.
The state also saw an increase in cases, topping 9,000 both Jan. 1 and 2, as reported by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
A new record was set Jan. 1 with 9,527 new cases on New Year’s Day; 9,365 cases were reported the following day.
The percentage of positive cases set a record of 15.5% on Jan. 2, according to DHHS, the highest since the pandemic began.
COVID-releated hospitalizations have also continued to rise, hitting 3,635 patients on Jan. 3, including 11 in Richmond County.
FirstHealth reports 92 of its 346 patients (26.6%) are COVID-positive.
“We begin 2021 in our most dangerous position in this pandemic,” Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said in a Jan. 2 press release. “We have critically high rates of spread in much of our state. I encourage you to avoid getting together indoors with anyone who doesn’t live with you. If you plan to see other people keep it outside and very small. Wear a mask the whole time. We must do all that we can to protect one another.”
The number of new statewide cases dropped Jan. 3 and 4 to 6,487 and 5,187, respectively.
Local health officials estimate that 2,426 of the 2,786 who have tested positive have recovered. Of all the tests performed, 22,829 have returned a negative result.
FirstHealth has completed 75,032 COVID tests. Of those, 64,164 have been negative, 9,465 have been positive and the results are still pending for 418, as of Jan. 4.
Free COVID-19 testing will continue throughout the month in the parking lot behind the Health Department. Testing will run from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, except when closed for lunch from noon-12:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
BY THE NUMBERS
The number of local cases per age group are as follows (includes recoveries):
- 0-18 – 410 (+12)
- 19-30 – 448 (+22)
- 31-40 – 382 (+17)
- 41-50 – 480 (+14)
- 51-64 – 577 (+38)
- 65-older – 489 (+27)
(+ Denotes increase from previous report)
The total number of cases per ZIP code are as follows:
- Rockingham – 1,528 (178 active)
- Hamlet – 806 (93 active)
- Ellerbe – 237 (28 active)
- Hoffman – 175 (6 active)
- Mount Gilead – 13 (0 active)
- Marston – 26 (3 active)
- Jackson Springs – 1 (0 active)
The total numbers (including recoveries) for surrounding counties are as follows:
- Mecklenburg – 65,809 (other counties to top 10,000 are Wake, Guilford, Forsyth, Durham, Alamance, Cumberland, Gaston, Pitt, Johnston, Cabarrus, Catawba, Union, New Hanover and Robeson)
- Union – 13,882
- Stanly – 4,607
- Montgomery – 2,023
- Anson – 1,495
- Moore – 5,174 (764 active)
- Hoke – 2,882
- Scotland – 2,627
- Robeson – 10,310 (more than higher-populated counties New Hanover and Buncombe)
All numbers are from DHHS except Moore, which are from the local health department, as there has been a discrepancy with the state.
Tyrrell County, the smallest by population, remains the only one of the state’s 100 counties to have fewer than 200 cases with 182.
