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The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continued to rise from 13,477 Thursday to 13,868 Friday. There have been 527 deaths in the state attributed to the virus, an increase of 15 overnight. There are currently 515 COVID-19 associated hospitalizations. According to Beaufort County Health Department Director Jim Madson, five of those hospitalizations have been Beaufort County COVID-19 cases; two of those cases have been on ventilators.

In Beaufort County, there were 24 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday. Twenty-two of the 24 confirmed cases have recovered from COVID-19. Only two cases remains active.

Six of Beaufort County’s positive cases were asymptomatic, meaning they experienced no symptoms.

The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. rose from 1,245,622 on Thursday to 1,281,724 Friday; these numbers include the 198,993 people in the U.S. known to have recovered from COVID-19. The U.S. has the highest number of cases worldwide; worldwide, there have been 3,926,724 positive cases. Nationwide, 76,901 deaths have been attributed to the virus, an increase of 1,478 overnight.

North Carolina has confirmed cases in 99 counties.

Of Beaufort County’s total of 24 cases, contact tracing of these known, confirmed cases has concluded:

• seven cases have been attributed to direct contact with a known patient from another county;
• two cases were related to travel to a known outbreak area;
• 13 cases are attributed to community spread;
• two cases are still under investigation.

All active cases are self-isolating, the update reads.

Eastern North Carolina counties with current cases include: Bertie (58), Beaufort (24), Bladen (50), Brunswick (49), Carteret (29), Camden (2), Chowan (8), Columbus (186), Craven (49), Currituck (9); Dare (14), Duplin (180), Edgecombe (139), Gates (10), Greene (34), Halifax (82), Hertford (46), Hyde (1), Jones (18), Lenoir (105), Martin (28), New Hanover (95), Northampton (102), Onslow (53), Pamlico (8), Pasquotank (75), Pender (23), Perquimans (14), Pitt (160), Sampson (136), Tyrrell (4), Washington (25), Wayne (715) and Wilson (199). Durham (829), Mecklenburg (1,989) and Wake (986) counties have the most cases in North Carolina.

There had been 421 tests completed in Beaufort County as of Friday, with 388 negatives, 21 positives and 12 pending. These are cumulative numbers and include tests performed at the health department and reporting private medical facilities through the county.

The update reminded county residents to “practice the Three W’s:” wear face coverings, wait 6 feet apart and wash your hands often.