While elected officials and healthcare leaders across the country discuss a rolling reopening of our economy, North Carolina needs to start the same discussion, but we lack key information. NCDHHS needs to immediately publicize relevant data so that the state can begin planning recovery efforts.

Here are some of the specific questions that need to be answered:

The age and risk category of those who are or have been hospitalized with COVID-19

The age and risk category of those who have died from complications from COVID-19

The number of hospital beds (inpatient and ICU) available by county and hospital

The number of active cases that must be reached for our statewide hospital system to be overwhelmed

The number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 who have recovered

The number of tests completed on individual patients with COVID-19 to determine recovery

A definition of what “recovered” means

Demographic data on all people tested for COVID-19

ZIP codes for all confirmed COVID-19 cases

Cumulative number of hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and ventilator usage

These are common sense questions that protect patient privacy while providing the right information for our state leaders to make informed decisions. Further delay in releasing this information leaves the public and policymakers without the critical data necessary to reopen our state, and will prolong the devastation so many North Carolinians are experiencing.

-- Lt. Governor Dan Forest

Letter to Secretary Cohen: https://files.nc.gov/ltgov/documents/files/Secretary-Cohen-COVID-Data.pdf