North Carolina reports record single-day COVID-19 case increase with 6,018 new cases statewide

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released their daily update involving COVID-19 cases within the state.

As of Saturday, there are now 363,698 PCR positive cases and 24,854 antigen positive cases, 2,171 people hospitalized and 5,516 COVID-19 related deaths.

That is 6,018 new total cases and 49 additional deaths from Friday, breaking Thursday's record for the state's highest single-day case increase.

"In less than a week, we went from exceeding 5,000 new cases reported in one day to exceeding 6,000," said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen in a statement. "This is very worrisome. We are seeing our highest rates of tests that come back positive despite the fact we are doing a lot of testing. This indicates we have even more viral spread across our state right now.

"We have record numbers of hospitalizations and people in the ICU. I am asking each North Carolinian to take personal responsibility for their actions and slowing the spread of this virus. Always wear a mask when with people you don’t live with, keep your distance from other people and wash your hands often. We are looking at what further actions we can take as a state to protect North Carolinians and save lives."

A total of 5,521,760 total COVID-19 tests have been completed in North Carolina.

North Carolina's statewide percent of positive COVID-19 tests jumped to 10.7% on Saturday, down from 11.2%.

Here's a breakdown of confirmed cases in local areas: