SALISBURY — A dozen more individuals in Rowan County have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday, including individuals at two congregate living facilities.

The number of recoveries also grew Tuesday, by double digits, to 219.

A total of 492 individuals have tested positive in the county and 26 individuals have died. At least 2,895 tests have been conducted and 10 are currently being hospitalized.

Four congregate living facilities in Rowan County are the sites of active COVID-19 outbreaks, including the Citadel, located on Julian Road; N.C. State Veteran’s Home, located on the Hefner VA Medical Center campus; Liberty Commons, located at 4412. S. Main St.; and the Laurels of Salisbury, located at 215 Lash Dr.

State data on nursing home outbreaks, which is updated Tuesdays and Fridays, indicate that additional residents at both the Citadel and N.C. State Veterans Home have tested positive for COVID-19. An additional three have tested positive at the Citadel, bringing the total to 157 cases — 44 staff members and 113 residents. At the N.C. State Veterans Home, an additional 10 people have tested positive, bringing the total to 27.

There are currently six total cases of COVID-19 at Liberty Commons and two cases at the Laurels.

Of the 26 COVID-19 deaths locally, 18 have been from the Citadel nursing home, seven have been from the N.C. State Veteran’s Home and one was not associated with a congregate living facility. The average age is 83 among the deaths compared to an average age of 53.3 among all cases.

County spokesperson T.J. Brown said the recent rise in recoveries is a “hopeful indication,” adding that locals should stay ahead of the curve by remembering the three W’s — wear a face cloth covering, wait 6 feet apart and avoid close contact and wash hands often or use hand sanitizer.

Statewide, 15,346 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 after 202,244 tests have been conducted. A total of 577 individuals have died and 475 are currently being hospitalized

In other COVID-19 statistics:

• Individuals age 65 and older make up the plurality of cases, at 159, and ages 51-64 currently have 97 cases. However, ages 36-50 and 18-35 continue to climb at 115 and 109 cases, respectively. A total of 12 cases are among children younger than 18 years old.
• Of the positive cases, 315 individuals are white, 120 are black or African American, three are Asian, one is American Indian/Alaskan Native, 104 are Hispanic, 30 are unknown and 23 are other.
• Females still make up the majority of positive cases, at 267, while males represent 225 positive cases.
• Zip code 28147 remains the area of the county with the most positive cases, at 224, which is where the Citadel nursing home is located. Next is 28144, a Salisbury zip code, with 120 cases. Zip code 28146, which includes part of Salisbury and a large swath of eastern Rowan, currently has 61 positive cases.