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The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continued to rise from 89,534 Tuesday to 91,471 Wednesday. There have been 1,584 deaths in the state attributed to the virus, an increase of 19 overnight. The state currently has 1,142 COVID-19 associated hospitalizations and 67,124 people are presumed recovered from the virus in North Carolina.

Beaufort County had a total of 171 confirmed cases as of Wednesday, an increase of 14 overnight; four COVID-19-positive patients are currently hospitalized in the county,

Beaufort County’s numbers stayed steady through the weekend, but increased by nine on Monday, nine again on Tuesday and 14 on Wednesday. There are currently 43 active COVID-19 cases in Beaufort County.

“Forty of our total positives were asymptomatic at the time of their test,” reads the Wednesday 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.

Contact tracing of the 171 known, confirmed cases has concluded:

• 104 cases have been attributed to direct contact with another known positive case;
• two cases were related to travel to a known outbreak area;
• 47 cases are attributed to community spread;
• 18 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 3,397,069 Tuesday to 3,465,031 Wednesday; these numbers include 1,044,098 people in the U.S. presumed recovered from COVID-19, according to the update. The U.S. has the highest total number of cases worldwide; worldwide, there have been 13,405,694 confirmed cases. Nationwide, 136,940 deaths have been attributed to the virus, an increase of 823 overnight, the update reads.

Eastern North Carolina counties total COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday numbered (does not include number of recovered): Bertie (161), Beaufort (171), Bladen (457), Brunswick (853), Carteret (162), Camden (42), Chowan (39), Columbus (650), Craven (483), Currituck (33); Dare (124), Duplin (1,720), Edgecombe (409), Gates (31), Greene (238), Halifax (433), Hertford (181), Hyde (31), Jones (43), Lenoir (439), Martin (175), New Hanover (1,594), Northampton (211), Onslow (489), Pamlico (40), Pasquotank (258), Pender (425), Perquimans (40), Pitt (1,000), Sampson (1,228), Tyrrell (62), Washington (54), Wayne (2,051) and Wilson (1,024). Durham (4,733), Mecklenburg (15,950) and Wake (7,971) counties have the most cases in North Carolina.

There had been 2,933 tests completed in Beaufort County as of Wednesday, with 2,605 negatives, 163 positives and 165 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 Wednesday and Wednesday; 408 were completed throughout the week by our various partners,” the update reads.