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It has been a deadly week in the Roanoke-Chowan area with the loss of six more local citizens due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Three of the six deaths were reported in Northampton County. There was one death each in Bertie, Gates and Hertford counties.

The deaths in Bertie and Gates counties were in the 65-and-over age range while the one in Hertford County was between the ages of 50 and 64. None were residents at local congregate care facilities.

Since the outbreak began in March, there have been 85 COVID-related deaths in the Roanoke-Chowan area (36 in Hertford County; 23 in Northampton; 22 in Bertie; 23; and four in Gates County).

As of Friday, Nov. 6, the Northampton County Health Department reported 57 new COVID-19 cases since Oct. 30.

Over the same time period, Albemarle Regional Health Services reported 24 new lab confirmed cases in Hertford County; 16 in Bertie County; and three in Gates County.

Meanwhile, the number of local residents who have recovered from the virus since March is also on the rise: 819 in Hertford County; 703 in Bertie; 561 in Northampton; and 158 in Gates.

The latest numbers from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services continue to show a dramatic increase in the weekly number of lab confirmed cases statewide. Over the last seven days there have been 16,739 new cases. The state’s death toll also rose by 250 since Oct. 30.