Graham County’s COVID-19 case count has doubled.
A Saturday press release from the health department confirmed that another resident has tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming just the second case reported in Graham County. Health Director Beth Booth confirmed that the second case was unrelated to the first, which was announced April 26.
“COVID-19 is emerging in the county relatively slowly, considering the acceleration in other counties,” Booth said. “We expect the numbers to keep rising; however, if we can keep that rate at a slow pace, it will not overwhelm the systems we have in place to treat and track those that are ill.”
Booth’s optimism comes after Graham County became the 96th of 100 North Carolina counties to confirm its first case of COVID-19. Avery is the only county left in the state without a confirmed case.
At the state level, Gov. Roy Cooper and state health and human services secretary Mandy Cohen indicated during an April 30 news conference that North Carolina’s trends are moving in the “right direction.” Cohen added that the state is doing everything possible to expedite and expand the testing process, with 5,000-6,000 tests completed daily.