As NC COVID-19 Cases Increase, State Launches Nursing Home Testing Initiative

COVID-19 test
Photo credit (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

For the seventh consecutive day, state health officials reported at least 1,000 new COVID-19 cases in North Carolina. On Tuesday 1,186 new cases were reported for a total of 64,670. The number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations also surged past 900 again, with 65 additional hospitalizations increasing the total to 908.

Another 18 deaths were reported, for a total of 1,343. Nearly 19,000 tests were conducted Monday, with 9% of those positive. Those numbers have been between 8 and 10% for several weeks, with state officials saying they would like to get it to 5% or lower.

Mecklenburg County health officials are reporting 10,019 COVID-19 cases and 149 deaths among county residents. The number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations continues to increase, with an average of 142 people hospitalized in county acute care facilities during the past week. That’s up from an average of 128 the previous week.

On Tuesday the state health department announced it is partnering with Omnicare to make facility-wide testing available to residents and staff in all North Carolina skilled nursing facilities. Testing will begin in July and continue through August at the more than 300 nursing homes in the state that have approximately 36,000 residents and 30,000 staff.

“We are using every tool we have to respond to COVID-19,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. “Building on North Carolina’s early and aggressive actions to protect residents who live in long-term care settings, DHHS will pay for proactive testing of staff and residents in all nursing homes to slow the spread of COVID-19.” 

There have been 4,440 COVID-19 cases and 660 deaths in North Carolina nursing homes. There are 123 ongoing outbreaks.