Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continued to rise from 15,199 Monday to 15,516 on Tuesday. There have been 596 deaths in the state attributed to the virus, an increase of 28 overnight. The state currently has 475 COVID-19 associated hospitalizations and 9,115 people have recovered from the virus in North Carolina, according to the Tuesday update from Beaufort County Emergency Services and Beaufort County Health Department.

In Beaufort County, there were 25 confirmed cases on Tuesday. Twenty-three of the 25 confirmed cases have recovered from COVID-19. Two cases remain active.

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

The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. rose from 1,340,643 Monday to 1,359,319 on Tuesday; these numbers include the 232,733 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 4,239,872 positive cases. Nationwide, 81,847 deaths have been attributed to the virus, an increase of 1,912 overnight.

North Carolina has confirmed cases in 99 counties.

Of Beaufort County’s total of 25 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;
• 15 cases are attributed to community spread;
• one case is still under investigation.

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

Eastern North Carolina counties with current cases include: Bertie (67), Beaufort (25), Bladen (60), Brunswick (51), Carteret (35), Camden (2), Chowan (11), Columbus (213), Craven (57), Currituck (9); Dare (21), Duplin (266), Edgecombe (156), Gates (11), Greene (37), Halifax (96), Hertford (51), Hyde (1), Jones (20), Lenoir (124), Martin (33), New Hanover (117), Northampton (123), Onslow (58), Pamlico (8), Pasquotank (82), Pender (39), Perquimans (19), Pitt (178), Sampson (170), Tyrrell (4), Washington (25), Wayne (755) and Wilson (216). Durham (897), Mecklenburg (2,148) and Wake (1,061) counties have the most cases in North Carolina.

There had been 511 tests completed in Beaufort County as of Tuesday, with 444 negatives, 22 positives and 45 pending. These are cumulative numbers and include tests performed at the health department and reporting private medical facilities through the county. Three of Beaufort County’s number were tested in other counties but are Beaufort County residents.

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