RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – North Carolina saw its biggest jump in the number of COVID-19-related deaths on Tuesday.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 33 deaths on Monday. Gov. Roy Cooper said the number moved up to 46 on Tuesday.
The largest previous increase was seven deaths from April 4 to April 5.
Along with the jump in deaths, the number of overall cases increased to 3,221 from 2,870. Of the confirmed cases, 42 percent are ages 25-49 and 29 percent are 50-64.
While 20 percent of confirmed cases are ages 65+, that age range claims 80 percent of the state’s deaths. No one under the age of 25 has died from COVID-19 in North Carolina.
The number of hospitalizations followed the trend by increasing by 84 to 354.
On Monday, Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry said a private company donated 600,000 masks to the state. Those masks are in addition to the 598,000 masks from the Strategic National Stockpile.
North Carolina has received 242,100 N95 masks, 460,000 gloves, 87,966 gowns, and 113,184 face shields from the federal stockpile.
The state has requested 500,000 of each of those items.
Here are latest numbers from local counties in the state:
Currituck – 3
Dare – 6
Pasquotank – 9
Perquimans – 2
Gates – 2
Chowan – 1
Hertford – 5 (1 death)
Bertie – 9 (1 death)
Camden – 0
Although, the official number from the health department shows six confirmed cases in Dare County, county officials report that as of April 7, 10 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Dare County. Three of the four new cases announced Tuesday had direct contact with the patient whose positive test result was announced on April 4. Officials said the other new case also likely got the virus through direct contact while outside of the area.
Gov. Cooper also said Tuesday he will sign more executive orders as part of the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including one to limit the number of customers in essential retailers.
The governor has already signed several other executive orders including one to expand unemployment benefits and another which closed public schools through May 15.
Cooper said one order will help put “more guardrails on social distancing at essential retailers.”
Target and Walmart are among the stores limiting the number of customers inside at one time and this order falls in line to make those changes mandatory across the state.
“I know many stores have put limits on how many people can be in a store at once and this order will ensure those limits are mandatory across the state for retailers,” Cooper said.
Cooper said he expects to sign another order which would fast track child care for doctors, nurses and other health care workers.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said families that need financial support for childcare – they can find the form at ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus that they then bring to their selected childcare program.
“I am proud to share that we have created an Emergency Child Care Subsidy Program to support our essential workers. Through this new program – essential workers can get help finding childcare and get help paying for that child care,” Cohen said.
The governor said the state has received FEMA approval to set up housing alternatives such as hotels or dorm rooms for people now living in shelters who contract the virus and need to be quarantined.
“This has been a real problem for local governments and we’re glad we can help with this,” Cooper said.
Cooper also touched on his stay-at-home order – which is set to expire April 29. He said while social distancing appears to be working in slowing the spread, it is unknown if he will need to extend the order.
“We just don’t know yet,” Cooper said.
