BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) – Brunswick County Health Services reports the death of a county resident associated with the new coronavirus on Monday.
The person was over 65 and had been hospitalized due to complications from the virus when he died, the county says.
This is now the third resident to die in June with a COVID-19 related death.
From June 2 to June 28, the county says the number of positive cases identified has increased by 326 percent.
The number of resident cases in the hospital has also increased in recent weeks, with seven residents currently hospitalized.
The number of hospitalized cases across the state is one of the factors influencing the governor’s decisions about the gradual lifting of the restrictions. The Governor recently had to extend Phase 2 of the safest state at home until July 17 due to increasing trends in the trajectory of COVID-like illnesses, laboratory-confirmed cases, percent positive testing, and hospitalizations over a period of 14 days across North Carolina
“Staying home as often as possible remains the best defense against the virus, no matter how old you are or how healthy you feel,” said Director of Health Services Cris Harrelson. “We anticipate that our case count will continue to increase in July due to increased activity in public places and the likelihood of social gatherings and travel taking place over the Independence Day weekend and the rest of the summer.”
This is the fifth Brunswick County resident to die with a death associated with COVID-19. The county reported that the first resident died on April 3, the second resident on April 15, the third resident on June 1, and the fourth resident on June 27.
Two nonresidents who tested positive during their visit to the county have also had deaths related to the virus.
As of Monday, these are the latest NCDHHS-reported cases and deaths in other Cape Fear counties:
New Hanover: 840 cases, 5 deaths
Pender: 243 cases, 1 death
Bladen: 366 cases, 3 deaths
Columbus: 517 cases, 38 deaths
NCDHHS encourages everyone to follow the three W’s when visiting any public area. These efforts work best when everyone practices them together as many people as possible:
- Wear a cloth face that covers when you are in public (make sure that both your nose and mouth are completely covered and that you can breathe normally while wearing it).
- Wait six feet apart to avoid close contact and maintain proper social distance between you and others
- To wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer while following other best hygiene practices
