North Carolina reported 561 new positive coronavirus tests on Thursday, the state’s largest daily increase since the pandemic began, according to Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Cohen explained that the increase is due to an increase in testing and that overall trends remain positive. North Carolina processed 6,000 tests on Wednesday.
“We remain optimistic that trends will be stable enough to move into phase one next week,” Cohen asserted in a Thursday press conference, referencing the governor’s three-phase plan for reopening the state.
North Carolina has reported 10,509 total positive coronavirus cases and 378 deaths.