RALEIGH, N.C. _ North Carolina hit another record for coronavirus patients in the state's hospitals Tuesday, passing 1,100 people for the first time.
The state saw its sixth-straight day with more than 1,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, reaching 1,109, which is 16 higher than Saturday's previous high. With 91% of hospitals reporting, the state has 73% of its inpatient beds occupied and 78% of the intensive care beds.
North Carolina's death toll from COVID-19 cases reached 1552, rising by 42, which is a record for single-day fatalities. The previous high, 36, came on June 16.
The record numbers came as the state also reached a new high for positive COVID-19 test results, now at 11 percent. That figure is now more than double what state Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said she would like it to be.
NC DHHS reported 89,484 positive coronavirus cases statewide, up 1,956 from Monday's total. The single-day record for new cases came Saturday with 2,462.
The state's new caseload fell slightly on Monday but weekly totals still trended upward by 17 percent, likely a consideration for state health officials as Gov. Roy Cooper planned his Tuesday announcement on guidelines for reopening schools.
North Carolina conducted 34,360 new coronavirus tests, DHHS reported Tuesday, which accounts for some of the increase in positive results.
Meanwhile, DHHS announced free COVID-19 testing events in Wake, Johnston and several other counties outside the Triangle. The state health department urged testing even for people who do not show symptoms, especially if they have attended protests or work in a job where infection is riskier, such as a grocery store or nursing home.
DHHS also warned of higher infection rates among historically marginalized citizens, including Black, Hispanic and American Indian populations. The state's Black population, for example, has 24% of the positive cases though its numbers make up 22%.
