Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Beaufort County had a total 388 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, an increase of nine overnight. There are currently 129 active cases in the county and 12 people are hospitalized, according to the Tuesday update from Beaufort County Emergency Services and Beaufort County Health Department.

Beaufort County’s number of total cases has increased dramatically over the last three weeks, with more than 300 new cases. According to the update, 257 of those positive cases have recovered from the virus. As of Tuesday, there have been two COVID-19-related deaths in the county, according to the update.

Contact tracing of the known, confirmed cases has concluded:

• 174 cases have been attributed to direct contact with another known positive case;
• two cases were related to travel to a known outbreak area;
• 72 cases are attributed to community spread;
• 140 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 4,712,305 Monday to 4,751,853 Tuesday; these numbers include 1,513,446 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 18,380,616 confirmed cases. Nationwide, 156,301 deaths have been attributed to the virus, an increase of 922 overnight.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina continued to rise from 127,381 Monday to 128,715 Tuesday. There have been 2,061 deaths in the state attributed to the virus, an increase of 26 overnight. The state currently has 1,166 COVID-19 associated hospitalizations and 105,093 people are presumed recovered from the virus in North Carolina.

Eastern North Carolina counties total COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday numbered (does not include number of recovered): Bertie (254), Beaufort (388), Bladen (584), Brunswick (1,202), Carteret (332), Camden (63), Chowan (145), Columbus (838), Craven (673), Currituck (71); Dare (202), Duplin (1,952), Edgecombe (596), Gates (45), Greene (313), Halifax (650), Hertford (307), Hyde (37), Jones (78), Lenoir (538), Martin (245), New Hanover (2,449), Northampton (329), Onslow (961), Pamlico (65), Pasquotank (360), Pender (632), Perquimans (72), Pitt (1,802), Sampson (1,431), Tyrrell (92), Washington (121), Wayne (2,330) and Wilson (1,436). Durham (5,946), Mecklenburg (21,316) and Wake (11,337) counties have the most cases in North Carolina.

There had been 4,622 tests completed in Beaufort County as of Tuesday, with 4,072 negatives, 379 positives and 171 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.

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