Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor released statistics showing over 10 million people in the country applied for unemployment benefits. On Tuesday, April 7, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper released a coronavirus update over email showing over 445,000 people in North Carolina have applied for unemployment benefits. The United States Census Bureau estimates the state’s population at over 10 million.

The email stated the increase in unemployment claims is over 100 times the expected traffic and over $28 million has already been sent to recipients.

According to the Department of Labor report, North Carolina’s high unemployment is due to “layoffs in the health care and social assistance, and administrative, support, waste management, and remediation services industries.” 

ABC11 reported recently that hospitals in the Fayetteville area are putting staff on furlough, while similar reductions have been made in the Charlotte area. 

Because of widespread social distancing, the number of patients that go to hospitals is decreasing, especially in emergency rooms, which are the most expensive places to seek care within a hospital, according to ABC11. In turn, revenue has decreased for the healthcare sector in North Carolina, with an estimated drop of about $1 billion per month.

More information on coronavirus in North Carolina can be found on the Department of Health and Human Services website.