The state of North Carolina has set a new record for daily COVID-19 cases.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 2,908 newly confirmed cases Friday, bringing the total of cases since the start of the pandemic to 288,569.
This comes as the nation set a new record again Thursday, reporting 116,707 new coronavirus cases. Twenty states saw their highest daily counts.
North Carolina has repeatedly reported over 2,000 new cases per day during the last few weeks. In the last week, the daily counts have inched closer to 3,000.
The% of positive tests has remained level. The state reported that 6.9% of tests came back positive on Wednesday, the most recent data available. The seven-day average positivity rate is 6.6%, higher than the 5% that officials want.
On Thursday, Gov. Roy Cooper said he would announce next week how North Carolina will proceed in light of the increase in cases. The state has been under phase three of reopening with his executive order set to expire Nov. 13.
Cooper, a Democrat, was reelected by North Carolina voters this week over Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, who campaigned on lifting the state's mask mandate and reopening schools immediately.
But with the General Assembly still controlled by Republicans, Cooper said Thursday the election left "a lot of status quo."
Cooper and Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, have not shared a specific metric, such as positive test rate or number of new daily cases, that might return the state to stricter guidelines.
"(It's) hard to give exact cut points because as the governor said, these metrics interact with each other and we don't want to have to move backwards. That's always been a possibility, we've always said that," said Cohen in a press conference last week. We'll continue to watch our metrics before we would make any decision."
Cohen expressed concerns Thursday that case counts could increase if people gather indoors more during the coming holidays and winter months. She advised that families get tested for COVID-19 before visits and set up separate tables for guests who live together.
"I know folks want and need to be together during the holiday," Cohen said. "We can't eliminate risk, but we can decrease it."
