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Beaufort County had a total of 73 confirmed cases as of Thursday, an increase of nine new cases overnight. Fifty of the 73 confirmed cases have recovered from COVID-19. Twenty-three cases remain active; one person is currently hospitalized, according to the Thursday update from Beaufort County Emergency Services and Beaufort County Health Department.

“Seven of our most recent cases were identified through contact tracing and have been attributed to having had direct contact with other known cases,” the update reads.

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

Of Beaufort County’s total of 73 cases, contact tracing of these known, confirmed cases has concluded:

• 45 cases have been attributed to direct contact with another known positive case;
• two cases were related to travel to a known outbreak area;
• 23 cases are attributed to community spread;
• two cases are still under investigation.

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

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continued to rise from 56,301 Wednesday to 57,472 Thursday. There have been 1,336 deaths in the state attributed to the virus, an increase of 14 overnight. The state currently has 891 COVID-19 associated hospitalizations and 36,921 people are presumed recovered from the virus in North Carolina.

The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. rose from 2,366,961 Wednesday to 2,410,279 Thursday; these numbers include 656,161 people in the U.S. presumed recovered from COVID-19. The U.S. has the highest number of cases worldwide; worldwide, there have been 9,522,025 confirmed cases. Nationwide, 122,481 deaths have been attributed to the virus, an increase of 735 overnight.

Eastern North Carolina counties with current cases as of Thursday include: Bertie (139), Beaufort (73), Bladen (341), Brunswick (407), Carteret (64), Camden (23), Chowan (19), Columbus (492), Craven (332), Currituck (16); Dare (34), Duplin (1,373), Edgecombe (290), Gates (26), Greene (160), Halifax (296), Hertford (157), Hyde (6), Jones (29), Lenoir (348), Martin (121), New Hanover (715), Northampton (191), Onslow (229), Pamlico (18), Pasquotank (172), Pender (213), Perquimans (32), Pitt (617), Sampson (947), Tyrrell (7), Washington (37), Wayne (1,712) and Wilson (665). Durham (3,402), Mecklenburg (9,614) and Wake (4,347) counties have the most cases in North Carolina.

There had been 1,866 tests completed in Beaufort County as of Thursday, with 1,688 negatives, 65 positives and 113 pending. These are cumulative numbers and include tests performed at the health department and reporting private medical facilities through the county. Eight 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 six feet apart and wash your hands often.