DATA: North Carolina – The Skinny – May 11

The NCDHHS is now reporting via a weekly report on COVID-19 patients that are presumed to have recover. According to the data released today, of the 15,045 confirmed cases, 9,115 have presumably recovered. That equals about 60%.

DHHS notes in the new report: “[The department] estimates a median time to recovery of 14 days from the date of specimen collection for non-fatal COVID-19 cases which required no hospitalized, or if hospitalization status is unknown. The estimated median recovery time is 28 days from the date of specimen collection for hospitalized non-fatal COVID-19 cases. Estimates used since patient-specific data on the actual time to resolution of all symptoms are not available for all COVID-19 cases in North Carolina.”

By the Numbers:

• 15,258 known cases in NC (as of 4:32 p.m.)
• 15,045 positive cases confirmed by NCDHHS
• 1,344,512 cases in the U.S. (as of 4:32 p.m.)
• 195,865 completed tests in North Carolina
• 8,987,524 completed tests in the U.S.
• 464 people currently hospitalized due to COVID-19
• 572 deaths in North Carolina
• 80,087 deaths in the U.S. (as of 4:32 p.m.)
• 99 counties in NC with cases (Avery County remains the one county without a case)

Latest Developments

• WakeMed took down its COVID-19 triage tents today. Over the past 6-8 weeks the hospitals were able to get their emergency rooms set up so COVID patients could be separated. UNC Hospitals have left up their triage tents.
• Cone Health resumed some elective procedures today.
• A Wake Forest University professor is studying the idea of an “immunity passport” that would certify if an individual has antibodies to COVID-19. This would help identify those who could be returned to non-essential jobs and large gatherings.
• Soldiers at Fort Bragg can now request a leave or pass to travel more than 50 miles away. The travel restriction was put in place because of COVID-19, and with the state transitioning into phase one, local leave policies could be reevaluated. It has also increased its manning status to “mission essential.”
• Visitors flocked to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park over the weekend.
• Businesses in downtown Wilmington are proposing to temporarily close down some streets to allow for expanded outdoor dining and retail space.
• Hendersonville is considering a similar proposal for its Main Street.

Quick Hits

• Economists are now predicting the economic recovery will look more like a “swoosh” than a V-shape.
  • From The Wall Street Journal: “The sobering new view reflects the depth of the contraction now being recorded for the spring, as well as more evidence that soaring joblessness and months or years of social distancing—particularly in the West—will depress economic activity well into next year. “This is not going to be a quick recovery,’ said Mark Schneider, chief executive of Nestlé SA, the world’s biggest packaged foods maker, recently. ‘This is going to be a several-quarter, if not several-year kind of process.’”
• After two staffers tested positive for COVID-19, those who work in the West Wing are being told to wear masks except when they’re sitting at their desk.
• Six new COVID-19 cases were reported in Wuhan, China, marking the first confirmed cases since early April, according to The New York Times. 
• Three regions in upstate New York are ready to open after meeting seven metrics.