Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Beaufort County had a total of 339 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday, an increase of 15 overnight. There are currently 124 active cases in the county and 11 people are hospitalized, according to the Wednesday update from Beaufort County Emergency Services and Beaufort County Health Department.

Beaufort County’s numbers increased by 49 new cases two weeks ago, 89 cases last week, 36 on Monday and 15 Tuesday. According to the update, 213 of Beaufort County’s positive cases have recovered from the virus. As of Wednesday, there have been two COVID-19-related deaths in the county, according to the update.

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

Contact tracing of the known, confirmed cases has concluded:

• 163 cases have been attributed to direct contact with another known positive case;
• two cases were related to travel to a known outbreak area;
• 70 cases are attributed to community spread;
• 104 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 4,309,230 Tuesday to 4,398,898 Wednesday; these numbers include 1,355,363 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 16,845,602 confirmed cases. Nationwide, 150,062 deaths have been attributed to the virus, an increase of 1,764 overnight.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continued to rise from 115,607 Tuesday to 118,387 Wednesday. There have been 1,888 deaths in the state attributed to the virus, an increase of 47 overnight. The state currently has 1,291 COVID-19 associated hospitalizations and 92,302 people are presumed recovered from the virus in North Carolina.

Eastern North Carolina counties total COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday numbered (does not include number of recovered): Bertie (222), Beaufort (339), Bladen (549), Brunswick (1,121), Carteret (279), Camden (53), Chowan (109), Columbus (775), Craven (620), Currituck (66); Dare (184), Duplin (1,874), Edgecombe (526), Gates (37), Greene (277), Halifax (585), Hertford (248), Hyde (37), Jones (55), Lenoir (507), Martin (217), New Hanover (2,283), Northampton (307), Onslow (838), Pamlico (54), Pasquotank (314), Pender (582), Perquimans (58), Pitt (1,579), Sampson (1,394), Tyrrell (91), Washington (110), Wayne (2,272) and Wilson (1,338). Durham (5,629), Mecklenburg (19,924) and Wake (10,464) counties have the most cases in North Carolina.

There had been 4,118 tests completed in Beaufort County as of Wednesday, with 3,577 negatives, 330 positives and 211 pending. These are cumulative numbers and include tests performed at the health department and reporting private medical facilities through the county. Nine of Beaufort County’s cases were tested in other counties but are Beaufort County residents. There were 837 tests conducted in Beaufort County last week, the update states.

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