North Carolina averaging more than 6,000 new coronavirus cases each day

North Carolina's rolling, seven-day average of new coronavirus cases topped 6,000 on Monday for the first time since the pandemic began. North Carolina reached 6,000 new cases for the first time last Saturday. By Friday, the state counted more than 7,500 new cases.

While only 4,770 new cases were reported Monday, recent days have been much higher, pulling the average up. Because fewer people get tested and fewer labs report new case numbers over the weekend, Mondays have been the lowest day of the week for new cases throughout the pandemic.

The rolling average of new cases reported daily was in the 1,000 range from June 8 to Oct. 15. The state first averaged 3,000 cases per a day on Nov. 19; that average rose to 4,000 on Dec. 4 and to 5,000 on Dec. 8.

Since March, the state has administered 6 million tests, and 441,365 people have tested positive. Over the past seven days, the rate of positive tests has risen to 11.6%, more than double the 5% target set by the state Department of Health and Human Services.

Many people who test positive never show any symptoms, and others experience only mild ones. But the virus has killed more than 5,000 people in North Carolina over the past nine months, and the recent surge in new cases is putting pressure on hospitals statewide.

On Monday, a record 2,553 people were being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals statewide.