North Carolina Open Thread: Covid-19 Update and John Cole Cartoons

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Here are the latest updates about COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in North Carolina. SUNDAY As of Sunday morning, Johns Hopkins University is reporting 3,247,782 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States.RELATED: US coronavirus deaths take a long-expected turn for the worse 

SATURDAY7:15 p.m Durham health officials report 74 additional COVID-19 cases, raising the county total to 4,494. 5:02 p.m. Wake County health officials report 7,294 total COVID-19 cases as of Saturday night, up 116 from Friday. There has been another death, bringing the total to 65 deaths county-wide. 4:50 p.m. Wake County health officials have identified a COVID-19 outbreak at a long-term care facility in Raleigh. Public health officials said staff members at the Tower Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, located at 2609 Bond Street, tested positive for COVID-19. Officials will not release additional information about residents or employees within the facility. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services defines an outbreak as two or more people-- residents or employees-- testing positive for the virus. 12:20 p.m. North Carolina is reporting the state's highest one-day number of COVID-19 cases with 2,462. This is the highest day increase to date. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina is 83,793. Hospitalizations are at another record high for the sixth day in a row with 1,093 patients in the hospital.

Why you might see different numbers of COVID-19 cases depending where you look

"Record-high numbers like today are concerning," said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. "We all have a responsibility to one another to wear a face covering, avoid crowds and wash our hands often to get our trends going back in the right direction." In North Carolina, 20 more people have died from the virus, bringing the total to 1,499 deaths. With 88 percent of hospitals reporting, 4,028 inpatient hospital beds (22 percent) are empty and 510 ICU beds (23 percent) are empty. The percentage positive of tests in North Carolina has fluctuated between 8 and 10 percent. As of Saturday morning, there are 3,184,722 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States.

FRIDAY7:10 p.m. High school sports in Wake County have been suspended indefinitely, the county public school system said, citing a rise in COVID-19 cases and extensive precautions that would be required. The decision comes after a subcommittee of Wake County athletic and education officials monitored the rise in COVID-19 trends in both Wake County and the state. "Due to a rise in COVID-19 cases and the extensive precautions that would be required to resume practices, we have determined that it is not prudent to resume athletic and co-curricular activities at this time, nor for the foreseeable future," WCPSS said in a written statement. The suspension includes voluntary workouts, practices, band activities and extracurriculars (teacher-sponsored clubs/organizations, ROTC and national honor societies). The subcommittee plans to revisit the suspension later this month after state officials make recommendations for school reopening. 7:20 p.m. An NC lawmaker confirmed that his fellow colleague Republican Sen. Danny E. Britt Jr. tested positive for COVID-19. Britt represents District 13 which includes both Columbus and Robeson County. 5 p.m. Wake County health officials identified COVID-19 outbreaks at three care facilities in Raleigh. According to a news release, two residents and staff tested positive at Universal Healthcare located at 5201 Clark Fork Drive. Two staff tested positive at the Raleigh Rehabilitation Center located at 616 Wade Ave. One resident and staff member tested positive at Wake Assisted Living located at 2800 Kidd Road. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services defines an outbreak as two or more people-- residents or employees-- testing positive for the virus.

COVID-19 North Carolina Dashboard

Knowing when to dial up or down measures that slow the spread of the virus depends on North Carolina’s testing, tracing and trends. This dashboard provides an overview on the metrics and capacities that the state is following.

What you need to know about coronavirus in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia

GREENVILLE, S.C. —

Here you'll find the latest number of coronavirus cases in the Carolinas and Georgia. This is also a one stop-shop for all the breaking news and latest headlines on coronavirus.

Latest numbers: Click on blue links for cases by county.

• South Carolina: 54,538 cases, 940 deaths, 533,738 tested, 1,396 people hospitalized
• North Carolina: 83,793 cases, 1,499 deaths, 1,176,058 tested, 1,093 in hospital
• Georgia: 114,401 cases, 2,996 deaths, 1,064,873 tested

>>County-by-county breakdown of cases in SC, NC, Georgia

>>Tracking COVID-19 curve of cases, deaths

>>CLICK HERE to read the CDC guidelines on coronavirus

Click on the links below to find out about mask ordinances in these areas:

• Spartanburg mask ordinance
• Greenville mask ordinance
• Clemson mask ordinance
• North Carolina mask ordinance
• Where do you have to wear a mask in SC? Full list

What's new this week? (July 6-11)

• First child dies due to coronavirus in South Carolina, DHEC says
• More Clemson athletes, staff test positive for COVID-19, school official says
• Anderson to hand out 11,000 masks in 2 days to protect community against COVID-19
• Greenville County releases in-person plan for fall
• DHEC releases Friday case numbers
• New data in South Carolina shows 400%+ increase in cases of COVID-19 in young adults since June 1
• See the faces represented by daily COVID-19 data
• Some SC teachers concerned about reopening school
• Carolinas, Georgia see drop in new unemployment claims
• Teaching, including virtual and in-person lessons, and the challenges among topics discussed by SC senators
• Concerns mount for parents following Governor’s School’s decision to keep campus closed
• Greenville County couple creates app to help patients on ventilators communicate
• Oconee, Anderson District 3 lay out plans for in-person, virtual learning this fall

• To get the most comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus locally and worldwide, click on our full section here.