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Albemarle Regional Health Services (ARHS) is reporting the first lab confirmed case of COVID-19 in Gates County.

ARHS Director R. Battle Betts, Jr. announced that confirmation in a press release sent shortly after 9 p.m. today (Wednesday).

Betts said the individual is in isolation.

ARHS also reported today the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Chowan County. That individual is also in isolation, Betts said.

There were two additional cases reported today in Northampton County, bringing the confirmed total there to 33. Neither is linked to an outbreak at a Northampton facility where 28 individuals tested positive for the virus. The first of those cases at that facility was reported on March 22, and peaked with 20 more cases on March 28.

The number of confirmed cases in Hertford County remains at four.

There are six confirmed cases in Bertie County. Tragically, one of those individuals passed away today at a hospital.

ARHS is following North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) guidelines on contact tracing of all individuals who may have had close contact with the case. Close contacts are defined as having direct contact with, or been within six feet for at least 10 minutes, of a case-patient while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment. Caregivers and household members of the case-patient are considered close contacts.

Statewide, NC DHHS reported 1,584 cases as of 11 a.m. today. At that time, 10 have succumbed to the virus.