From Staff Reports

As of Nov. 22, both North Carolina and Buncombe County continued to set new records for COVID-19 cases, the latest figures from the state Department of Health and Human Services showed.

Specifically, North Carolina recorded 4,514 new cases, while Buncombe tallied 70 new cases. The state numbers reflected just the second time North Carolina has recorded more than 4,000 cases in one day. The previous record was set a week earlier, with 4,296 cases on Nov. 19.

The surge in cases marks the continuance of a trend of steadily increasing new cases since the beginning of September.

The addition of 2,419 cases on Nov. 23 raised the state’s COVID-19 total cases to 339,194, state data indicated.

Meanwhile, Buncombe reported 39 new cases on Nov. 23, increasing the county’s coranvirus total to 5,232 cases.

As for deaths from coronavirus, the state tallied 5,039, while in Buncombe a reported 124 have died.

“Hospitalizations are at their highest mark, as well, with 1,601 currently hospitalized patients across the state, including 198 admitted in the past 24 hours,” the Asheville Citizen Times reported on Nov 25. “Locally, there are 47 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients in the Mission Health system, according to (Mission) spokeswoman Nancy Lindell.”

The breakout of coronavirus cases at Mission Health includes 38 cases at Mission Hospital in Asheville, five at Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine, three at Mission Hospital McDowell in Marion, one at Angle Medical Center in Franklin and one at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital in Highlands.

Statewide, the percentage of COVID-19 tests that are positive has declined from a peak of 9.4 percent on Nov. 16 to of 6.6 percent on Nov, 21, according to the latest data available on the Daily Planet’s deadline..

In Buncombe, 4.7 percent of COVID-19 tests are coming back positive, according to the latest state health figures.