NC tops 3,000 new COVID-19 cases in single day for first time; percent positive nears 8%

North Carolina health officials are reporting the single-highest day increase in COVID-19 cases.

The state is reporting an increase of 3,119 cases, the first time since the pandemic began in March that the number has topped 3,000.

Hospitalizations are up 16 to a total of 1,246 and the percent of positive tests climbed to 7.9%.

“This is not the milestone we want to be hitting, particularly as we head into holidays where people want to come together," said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen. "I am asking North Carolinians to do what they do best, look out for each other. Wear a mask. Wait six feet apart. Wash your hands often. We’ve had more time to learn about this devastating virus and study after study shows that these three simple actions can help keep our family, friends and neighbors from getting sick.”

There have also been 38 more deaths reported across the state, bringing the total since March to 4,698 statewide.

'This pandemic will end’: NC tightens gathering limits ahead of Thanksgiving

On Tuesday, Gov. Roy Cooper announced that North Carolina’s indoor mass gathering limit will be lowered to 10 people in an effort to drive down COVID-19 metrics.

Executive Order 176 will go into effect on Friday, Nov. 13 and will be in place through Friday, December 4.

State health officials also urged people to avoid travel over Thanksgiving and only gather with people in your household. For those that do plan to travel or get together with others, NCDHHS has issued guidance outlining steps to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19, including getting tested three to four days ahead of time.

For a full list of guidance about traveling and gathering during the holidays, along with a chart outlining low, medium and high-risk activities, click here.

'Stay home, take care of your families' Rock Hill man shares his story of recovery from COVID-19

>> 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.

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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.