GREENSBORO, N.C. — Is COVID-19 spreading or slowing in North Carolina?
It's a question Gov. Roy Cooper will likely try to answer in a 3 p.m. news conference Thursday.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) released the latest COVID-19 numbers on Thursday. The data shows the percentage of positive tests is above the goal but holding fairly steady at 6.5%. NCDHHS wants that metric to be below 5%.
There was a substantial increase in new cases on Thursday as well - the highest in more than a month.
NCDHHS confirmed 2,532 new cases on Thursday, bringing the statewide total to 238,939 cases since the pandemic started.
At least 1,100 people are in hospitals statewide.
The Guilford County Schools board cited rising hospitalizations and a percent-positive higher than the goal, in revising its re-entry plan for students.
Let's look at Guilford County's biggest hospital system - Cone Health.
For the last month-and-a-half, we've seen ups and downs in cases, not a consistent decline or incline.
But since mid-September, hospital intakes have stayed above 50.
Tuesday tied for Cone Health's highest hospitalization day with 69 patients in the hospital and 10 in the ICU.
