More than 10,000 county residents have contracted COVID-19
LUMBERTON — Robeson County has surpassed 10,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.
The Robeson County Health Department reported 620 new cases between Dec. 24 and Thursday, bringing the county’s pandemic total to 10,015 cases. That means about one in every 13 Robeson County residents has contracted COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
The 620 cases in a seven-day period is a drop from the pandemic high of 682 cases reported Dec. 12-18.
There were four virus-related deaths reported in the county between Dec. 24 and Thursday, bringing the pandemic death toll to 149. The toll nears 150 just two months after the county’s 100th virus-related death was reported Oct. 27.
One of the deaths was an individual under the age of 60, county Health Department Director Bill Smith said. The ages of the other deaths were not specified.
No virus-related deaths were reported between Tuesday and Thursday.
Testing is down over the past week, but the county’s positivity rate is up to 14.7%, Smith said.
UNC Health Southeastern reports 48 virus-positive patients in isolation at its hospital as of 11 a.m. Wednesday, up from the 27 confirmed cases and six potential positives under investigation reported Dec. 23. Twenty-five employees are quarantined because of possible exposure, down from 42 on Dec. 23.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported that 542 people have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in Robeson County as of Tuesday, part of the 63,571 people statewide who have received a first dose.
UNC Health Southeastern has set up a site across from its hospital for administering vaccinations and the county Health Department has begun its vaccinations, Smith said. Only high-risk health care providers, long-term care facility staff and those processing bodies at funeral homes are currently eligible to be vaccinated, but at the end of next week, vaccinations will open up to people age 75 and older. Two weeks later, essential front-line workers will be eligible.
The preferred method for getting vaccinated is through registration and appointments, Smith said. The majority of available vaccines are the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
North Carolina surpassed 500,000 COVID-19 cases this week, and NCDHHS now reports 539,545 total cases since the pandemic began as of noon Thursday. This includes 45,034 between Dec. 24 and Thursday.
There were 388 virus-related deaths reported in the state between Dec. 24 and Thursday, putting the pandemic total at 6,748.
There are currently 3,472 virus-related hospitalizations reported in the state, a record.