Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The spread of COVID-19 in the Roanoke-Chowan area includes a fifth person in Northampton County dying from complications associated with the virus as well as 12 new cases at Rivers Correctional Institution in Hertford County.

Meanwhile, late last week, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released an interactive map online showing the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases by zip code.

The Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald researched that database (updated on Tuesday morning of this week) and reports the following cases (by town) in our local four counties:

Of Bertie County’s 51 positive cases, the majority are in the Windsor area where the virus has affected 31 individuals and there has been one death. The only other Bertie County town with more than five cases is the Colerain area (10). The Aulander zip code area only has two cases, the same amount as the Merry Hill area.

NCDHHS reported 10 positive cases of COVID-19 at Bertie Correctional Institution, a state-owned prison located in Windsor. There was a limited outbreak of the virus at Three Rivers Health & Rehabilitation in Windsor. There, two residents and one staff member tested positive two weeks ago, but there have not been any additional cases at the facility since that time.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 31 of Bertie County’s 51 residents testing positive have recovered from the virus.

Hertford County’s 45 cases as of Tuesday were largely confined to the Ahoskie (21), and Murfreesboro (10) zip codes. There had been one death in each of those areas of the county. The Winton area has 12 cases.

NCDHHS listed 39 cases at Rivers Correctional Institution, a private prison located west of Winton, as of Tuesday. That number, up from 27 as of last Friday, represents 21 staff members and 18 inmates.

Northampton County has the largest number (99) of confirmed cases in the local area as well as five deaths from the virus. The latest death was reported Tuesday, May 5 by the county’s Health Department.

The Woodland zip code was listed with the highest number of cases (26, plus one death).

NCDHHS listed Pine Forest Rest Home in Potecasi with 27 cases and one death. Twenty of those cases (along with the one death) involved residents at that facility.

The Rich Square zip code listed 17 cases and two deaths.

According to the NCDHHS, Rich Square Nursing and Rehabilitation had nine staff members and 10 residents test positive for the virus. Two of those residents passed away.

The Conway zip code also reported one death and 11 confirmed cases.

Other Northampton County zip codes reporting three or more confirmed cases were: Jackson (3), Lasker (3), Garysburg (5), Seaboard (5), and Gaston (17).

Sixty-five of Northampton’s 99 cases have recovered.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Gates County are on the rise.

As of Tuesday morning (May 5), Albemarle Regional Health Services was reporting nine cases in Gates County. Of that number, five are active cases while the other four have recovered from the virus.

The Gates zip code area listed three cases; there were two cases each in Corapeake and Gatesville zip code areas; and one each in the Hobbsville and Sunbury areas. There were no cases listed in the Eure zip code area.