CHARLOTTE, N.C.— North Carolina shattered its record for daily COVID-19 cases Thursday, adding more than 18,500 new cases to its total as the omicron variant rages.
The state Department of Health and Human Resources listed 1,667,493 confirmed cases since the pandemic’s beginning, up 18,571 from Wednesday’s total.
Before Thursday, the greatest one-day caseload jump was 11,581 set in January of this year, NC DHHS reported.
NC DHHS also reported Thursday that the number of people visiting the emergency room for “COVID-like illness” had set a record at 4,171.
State health officials now say 2,258 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 throughout North Carolina, up 136 since Wednesday and its highest total since October.
The state also conducted nearly 100,000 tests in the last day, and the positive-result rate now stands at 22%, also a high. As of Thursday, 19,399 people have died in the pandemic, up 60 from the deaths reported Wednesday. The number of deaths do not necessarily occur on the day they’re reported.
Hospitals across the Research Triangle reported their COVID-19 patients soaring, including a 42% increase between Monday and Wednesday at Duke University Hospital. Most of those hospitalizations are thought to be omicron cases and nearly all are unvaccinated patients.
“We’re finally bumping into people’s holiday travel crashing down on us,” said Dr. Cameron Wolfe, professor of infectious diseases at Duke.
Meanwhile, a new drive-through testing site will open Friday at PNC Arena. Another at Five County Stadium in Zebulon opens Monday.
