UNC epidemiologist: NC could have thousands of coronavirus cases by April

North Carolina could have thousands of COVID-19 cases in a matter of weeks, a researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said Monday.

Kimberly Powers, an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, said that her projection is based on the growth rate of cases in the state since the first positive test for coronavirus was announced on March 3.

By Monday evening, the state had 36 positive tests. Powers said she expects that figure to top 100 by the end of this week and 1,000 by the end of the month.

"This is rapid growth we are seeing around the world. Certainly, this is not something that we’ve seen at this level in the modern era," she said.

Powers said her projections don't account for the "social distancing" that has become the norm nationwide in recent days to limit the spread of the virus. Nor do they account for an increase in testing, which could reveal more cases. She said she is updating her models to include those two trends.

"These are all preliminary projections and subject to change. This is a rapidly evolving situation," she said.