Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continued to rise from 85,774 Sunday to 87,669 Monday. There have been 1,529 deaths in the state attributed to the virus, an increase of seven overnight. The state currently has 1,040 COVID-19 associated hospitalizations and 67,124 people are presumed recovered from the virus in North Carolina.

Beaufort County had a total of 148 confirmed cases as of Monday, an increase of nine overnight; 37 of the 148 cases are active and four people are currently hospitalized in the county, according to the Monday update from Beaufort County Emergency Services and Beaufort County Health Department.

On June 26, Beaufort County Health Department reported its first death in the county of a resident who tested positive for COVID-19. The person, who was the 56th confirmed case in the county, died June 24.

“Two of today’s newest cases were identified through contact tracing and have been attributed to having had contact with other known cases. One was asymptomatic at the time of their test. Details pertaining to the remaining seven cases will be forthcoming,” the Monday update reads. “Thirty-six of our total positives were asymptomatic at the time of their test.”

Of Beaufort County’s total of 148 cases, contact tracing of these known, confirmed cases has concluded:

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

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

The total number of cases that have been confirmed in the U.S. rose from 3,286,025 Sunday to 3,353,348 Monday; these numbers include 1,031,856 people in the U.S. presumed recovered from COVID-19. The U.S. has the highest total number of cases worldwide; worldwide, there have been 13,048,249 confirmed cases. Nationwide, 135,524 deaths have been attributed to the virus, an increase of 435 overnight.

Eastern North Carolina counties total COVID-19 cases as of Monday numbered (does not include number of recovered): Bertie (157), Beaufort (148), Bladen (446), Brunswick (802), Carteret (154), Camden (38), Chowan (37), Columbus (623), Craven (452), Currituck (25); Dare (118), Duplin (1,672), Edgecombe (398), Gates (29), Greene (223), Halifax (428), Hertford (179), Hyde (34), Jones (43), Lenoir (427), Martin (171), New Hanover (1,484), Northampton (211), Onslow (448), Pamlico (36), Pasquotank (244), Pender (382), Perquimans (39), Pitt (963), Sampson (1,198), Tyrrell (53), Washington (51), Wayne (2,026) and Wilson (945). Durham (4,604), Mecklenburg (15,319) and Wake (7,668) counties have the most cases in North Carolina.

There had been 2,749 tests completed in Beaufort County as of Monday, with 2,480 negatives, 140 positives and 129 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.

“There were 749 tests completed by Beaufort County agencies last week; 341 were completed during our mass testing events last Tuesday and Wednesday; 408 were completed throughout the week by our various partners,” the update reads.