State health officials Friday reported an additional 46 coronavirus-related hospitalizations in North Carolina, for a record high of 1,180 currently hospitalized. For a second consecutive day there were more than 2,000 new COVID-19 cases in the state. The additional 2,051 increased the overall total to 95,477.
There were 18 COVID-19 related deaths reported Friday, for a total of 1,606. More than 31,000 tests were completed on Thursday, with a positive rate of 8%, down from 9% the previous day. That’s still higher than the 5% or lower that state health officials would like to see.
Mecklenburg County health officials Friday reported 16,693 COVID-19 cases and 175 deaths among county residents. Coronavirus-related hospitalizations remained stable, with an average of 178 people hospitalized in county acute care facilities over the past week. The positive test rate also remained stable at 11.3% over the past week.
Governor Roy Cooper on Friday urged Congress to pass additional coronavirus response funding for states. He wrote a letter to the state’s congressional delegation asking them for their continued support in addressing the state’s critical needs during the coronavirus pandemic.
“The actions you take in the next few weeks are vital to our ability to emerge from this crisis and restore economic prosperity. We cannot beat this crisis if we do not ensure our economy can survive the duration of the virus, and we will not beat the virus if we do not follow best public health guidance and properly resource and implement robust testing, contact tracing and isolation capabilities required for an effective recovery strategy,” wrote Governor Cooper in the letter.
In the letter, Cooper urged Congress to allow flexibility in both current and prospective federal funds, and said Congress should encourage FEMA to provide 100% federal reimbursement for non-federal cost share for state and local costs of pandemic response. He also asked that the Federal Medical Assistance Program be temporarily increased to 12% until at least the end of September, which would allow the state to address demands on the health care system due to COVID-19.