The Lee County Health Department confirmed three new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the county’s total to 33.
As has been customary, no information about the people infected will be shared by county health officials.
According to a press release from the county, the health department is actively monitoring 26 of the cases. Seven individuals have recovered and resumed normal activities. There have been no reported deaths in Lee County. The last day without a new confirmed case of the Coronavirus was April 9. Since then, there have been multiple new cases confirmed each day.
Friday saw the county’s biggest spike yet, with 9 new cases being announced. While that number might be alarming, health officials have said it’s not wholly unexpected as North Carolina enters what is being considered “the peak” of the outbreak.
“Based on NCDHHS data, we expect the increase in the number of cases across the state to peak later next week,” Lee County Health Department Director Heath Cain said Friday. “We should assume our numbers will continue to rise. We are hopeful that after next week the rate of new cases identified will begin to fall as we realize the benefit of ‘flattening the curve,’ but this virus will be around for quite some time. It is important to realize that we have a ‘new normal’ and even after we reach the peak of the outbreak, we must continue to follow the recommendations of NCDHHS and the CDC to prevent the virus from resurging.”