State officials: 9,115 in NC 'presumed to be recovered' from COVID-19

In a May 11 press conference, NC state officials shared numbers that represent an estimate of how many North Carolinians have recovered from COVID-19.

Posted 7:20 p.m. May 11, 2020 — Updated 7:34 p.m. May 11, 2020

WRAL staff

RALEIGH, N.C. — On Monday, North Carolina state officials shared numbers that represent an estimate of how many North Carolinians have recovered from COVID-19: 9,115.

"We've done a great job of keeping the virus low in NC, but we must continue to be vigilant," Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said in the conference.

The estimated number of patients presumed to be recovered from symptoms is used in combination with other measures to provide a general sense of how many people with COVID-19 have likely recovered, according to a Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) statement, also released Monday.

The NCDHHS estimates a median time to recovery of 14 days from the date of specimen collection, or if hospitalization status is unknown. The estimated median recovery time is 28 days.

The NCDHHS used estimates since patient-specific data on the actual time to resolution of all symptoms is not available for all COVID-19 cases in North Carolina, the NCDHHS further shared in the statement, and patients’ actual recovery times could be shorter or longer depending on the severity of illness.

Official chose this interval based on World Health Organization (WHO) guidance, and in consultation with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other state health departments. The WHO reported a median recovery time of two weeks from illness onset for mild cases and three to six weeks for patients with severe or critical disease.

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