CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced a new record for COVID-19 cases in a single day Saturday with 3,885 new infections.
It's the second time in four days North Carolina has set a new high for cases in a single day after Wednesday's report of 3,119 cases.
According to Saturday's report from DHHS, North Carolina currently has 309,118 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 4,756 deaths. The state is reporting 1,425 people are currently hospitalized with the virus, which is a new high. Friday's report of 1,423 patients was a large increase from the previous record due to a change in how hospitalizations are reported to the CDC.
NCDHHS is following new CDC requirements that call for patients to be counted through their full stay in the hospital, not just when they are under isolation protocols.
On Tuesday, Governor Roy Cooper announced that North Carolina’s indoor mass gathering limit will be lowered to 10 people in an effort to drive down COVID-19 metrics. Executive Order 176 will be in place through Friday, Dec. 4.
This Thanksgiving, health officials are discouraging large family gatherings, urging people to keep holiday festivities small. The safest option, many health officials say, is being with people who live in the same household.
North Carolina health guidance encourages people to avoid contact with others outside their household for 14 days before the gathering.
If people do travel for the holiday, health officials recommend getting a COVID-19 screening test beforehand.
"As we know, a screening test is by no means perfect, but it can catch some people who have the virus and don't have symptoms yet," said Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.