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San Diego-Area Hospitals Work Through Surge Of COVID-19 Cases As Nation Struggles With Pandemic

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The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported the state reached a stunning milestone fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Thursday afternoon, 10,226 North Carolinians have died from the virus. A sobering total along with 811,000 cases in less than a year. About 8.9 percent of those cases were reported in Mecklenburg County.

North Carolina is the fifteenth state to report over 10,000 deaths. Seven of those have at least 20,000 deaths including California who overtook New York with the most in the country. A staggering 45,436 deaths in The Golden State which is an average of 130 per day since the first death was reported.

“Together we grieve with the family and friends of the North Carolinians who have lost their lives to this terrible pandemic,” NCDHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy K. Cohen said on Tuesday. “Each one of these numbers represents a daughter or son, a parent or grandparent, a neighbor or friend — people who are deeply loved and who were part of the fabric of our community”

The rush to get COVID-19 vaccines spread across North Carolina has hit warp speed. A total of 1,336,079 vaccine doses have been administered to North Carolinians over the past six weeks. Over 619,000 in the past 14 days, according to data from the NCDHHS.