Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continued to rise from 32,075 Thursday to 33,295 Friday. There have been 1,015 deaths in the state attributed to the virus, an increase of two deaths overnight. The state currently has 717 COVID-19 associated hospitalizations and 18,860 people are presumed recovered from the virus in North Carolina.

Beaufort County had a total of 43 confirmed cases as of Friday. Thirty-six of the 43 confirmed cases have recovered from COVID-19. Seven cases remain active.

“Our six most recent cases have been attributed to a single event that occurred over Memorial Day weekend,” according to the Friday update from Beaufort County Emergency Services and Beaufort County Health Department.

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

Of Beaufort County’s total of 43 cases, contact tracing of these known, confirmed cases has concluded:

• 22 cases have been attributed to direct contact with another known positive case;
• two cases were related to travel to a known outbreak area;
• 19 cases are attributed to community spread.

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

The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. rose from 1,867,595 Thursday to 1,890,592 Friday; these numbers include 479,258  people in the U.S. presumed recovered from COVID-19. The U.S. has the highest number of cases worldwide; worldwide, there have been 6,713,881 confirmed cases. Nationwide, 108,920 deaths have been attributed to the virus, an increase of 1,005 overnight.

Eastern North Carolina counties with current cases include: Bertie (129), Beaufort (43), Bladen (143), Brunswick (131), Carteret (39), Camden (3), Chowan (17), Columbus (355), Craven (218), Currituck (15); Dare (22), Duplin (943), Edgecombe (216), Gates (24), Greene (88), Halifax (197), Hertford (133), Hyde (2), Jones (28), Lenoir (249), Martin (74), New Hanover (225), Northampton (165), Onslow (117), Pamlico (10), Pasquotank (115), Pender (98), Perquimans (26), Pitt (332), Sampson (553), Tyrrell (4), Washington (32), Wayne (1,240) and Wilson (413). Durham (1,921), Mecklenburg (5,057) and Wake (2,067) counties have the most cases in North Carolina.

There had been 1,120 tests completed in Beaufort County as of Friday, with 1,031 negatives, 39 positives and 50 pending. These are cumulative numbers and include tests performed at the health department and reporting private medical facilities through the county. Four of Beaufort County’s cases 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.