The North Carolina death toll from COVID-19 is now two. In a recent media briefing, Governor Roy Cooper reminds people that these deaths are just the beginning.
One person who died was in his late 70s, from Cabarrus County, and had underlying medical conditions. The other, a person in his 60s, lived in Virginia and was traveling through North Carolina when he was hospitalized.
"It’s with a heavy heart that I must tell you that these will not be our last. "
Cooper says some of the patients currently in the hospital with COVID-19 are seriously ill and some are in critical condition.
"They are fighting for their lives. And it’s awful for their families who know their loved ones are suffering, but because of this cruel and contagious sickness, they cannot even be with them."
There’s a lot officials don’t yet know about this virus and its spread, but the data shows when people practice social distancing, the infection rate slows. It’s hard but necessary, says Cooper.
The Governor also says further action – in the form of statewide guidance and restrictions – is on the way. That announcement, he says, will come soon.
