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COVID-19 percent positive rate tops 9% in NC; more than 1,537 hospitalized

By WSOCTV.com News Staff

U.S. to ship millions of COVID-19 tests in push to reopen schools (Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

By WSOCTV.com News Staff

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 3,367 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the second day in a row the state has reported more than 3,000 cases and the fifth day this month.

As the number of cases jumped, the number of completed tests dipped -- the state reported 27,363 more completed COVID-19 tests.

The percentage of positive tests climbed to 9.2%, a level the state has not hit since early August.

RED ZONE: Local county’s 17% positivity rate is highest in North Carolina

Currently, 1,537 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 across North Carolina, the highest number ever reported by the state, though it is unclear if this is a record for hospitalizations due to the state’s new hospital reporting system.

In the past 24 hours, 364 suspected COVID-19 patients have been admitted to North Carolina hospitals, the highest number in at least a month.

During a news conference Tuesday, NCDHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said many rural hospitals across the state are strained for capacity.

Cooper unveils system pinpointing viral hot spots, warns counties of further restrictions

>> Have questions about the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the Carolinas? We have an entire section dedicated to coverage of the outbreak -- CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

[WANT TO WATCH ON OUR STREAMING APPS? CLICK HERE]

[COUNTY-BY-COUNTY COVID-19 RESOURCE GUIDE]

[CORONAVIRUS IN THE CAROLINAS; HERE’S HOW TO STAY INFORMED]

Note: The numbers we show you every day mean everything in how our community recovers from coronavirus -- both in terms of healthcare and the economy -- but they don’t mean much without the proper context and as much transparency as possible.

New cases vary day by day based on a lot of factors. That can include how long it takes to get results back, so a new case reported today can really be several days old.

The other big metric we watch is the percent of positive cases. This is data we can only get from the state because it’s not as simple as factoring a percent of new cases each day from the number of tests. That’s because test results take days and come from a variety of places.

Cox Media Group

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