NC Coronavirus Update Nov 26: COVID-19 Hospitalizations Hit New High as Families Gather for Thanksgiving

RALEIGH, NC – Here are the latest updates on COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in North Carolina.

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THURSDAY MORNING STORIES

Wednesday’s report from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services showed a record 1,811 people hospitalized in the state. It was a new high and came after setting a previous high on Tuesday. The news is concerning given that many people gather for the Thanksgiving holiday.

The latest report from the Centers for Disease Control predicts between 294,000 and 321,000 COVID-19-related deaths by December 19. On Monday, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams called on Americans to stay “small and smart” regarding Thanksgiving celebrations.

Due to the holidays, the state is not expected to release new data on COVID-19 on Thursday.

WEDNESDAY

5 p.m.
Sanford Mayor Chet Mann issued an emergency declaration to strengthen Governor Cooper’s executive orders requiring the use of face masks by people in North Carolina and reducing occupancy limits for most indoor activities.

Decrees 176 and 180 prescribe face coverings in public and indoors in the presence of members who do not belong to the household. It reduces mass gathering limits for indoor spaces of 25 to 10 people.

The declaration for the City of Sanford takes effect at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25, 2020 and will remain in effect until amended or rescinded by Mayor Mann.

“This enhanced state of emergency does not include additional regulations,” said Mayor Mann. “This is an effort to strengthen existing regulations, allowing the city manager to deploy employees as needed.”

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3 p.m.
Wake County Public Health has confirmed an outbreak of COVID-19 at HeartFields in Cary, a home and memory care facility located at 1050 Crescent Green in Cary.

This is the second confirmed outbreak at this location.

2:50 p.m.
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety has announced that the Prisons Directorate is consolidating some of its operations to help mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak in North Carolina and its impact on the prison system.

As a result, the following actions have been taken:
Operations were temporarily suspended at Randolph Correctional Center in Asheboro on November 22, and staff were temporarily reassigned to other prisons in the area.
Operations were temporarily suspended on November 20 at the Southern Correctional Facility’s minimum detention unit, allowing staff to better assist in other sections of the Trojan prison.
Operations were temporarily put on hold at the Piedmont Correctional Facility’s Minimum Detention Unit, located in Salisbury, on November 25 so that staff could assist with the prison complex’s medium detention facility.

Affected offenders were transferred to other penitentiary establishments of appropriate levels of detention.

“These prison consolidation actions were necessary due to outbreaks of COVID-19 in offender populations in a number of state prisons and the need for additional staff in prisons dealing with viral outbreaks,” the department said. in a press release.

11:50 a.m.
North Carolina on Wednesday hit another record high number of COVID-19-related hospitalizations with 1,811. Tuesday’s hospitalizations were also a new record.

247 new patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been admitted to hospitals in the past 24 hours. 306 people suspected of cases were also admitted.

69 percent of newly admitted patients are over 60, 8 percent are under 39.

As of Wednesday morning, there were 431 adults in the state’s intensive care units battling COVID-19.

More than 4,000 new cases have also been reported in the state, which is only the third time since the start of the pandemic.

A total of 4,212 new cases were reported on Wednesday.

The percentage of positive tests is currently 7.3%.

WEDNESDAY MORNING STORY LINES

The state’s new mask mandate begins at 5 p.m. Wednesday, requiring masks in all indoor public places. The most notable revisions include restaurants that require patrons to wear a mask when seated and gym goers must keep their masks on when working out.

There were fewer travelers than usual at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving.

The Centers for Disease Control has advised against traveling and joining large gatherings for the holidays. While this may reduce some seasonal travel, it is not universally respected. The Transportation Safety Administration said Monday it examined more than 2 million people over the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Free COVID-19 testing is offered Wednesday at the Smithfield Men’s Progressive Club on Old Goldsboro Road in Smithfield from 9 a.m. to noon. You don’t need an appointment or have any symptoms to get tested.