By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • There are now 30 known cases of COVID-19 in Hoke County, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

The five cases added Wednesday marked the largest single-day increase for the county. The COVID-19 spread in Hoke has been slow so far. Health officials have usually only confirmed one or two new cases a day since the start of the pandemic.

Most of Hoke’s known cases involve military-connected people, healthcare workers who work in other counties and people who traveled outside the state. Many of the people who tested positive in March or early April have already recovered, according to the Health Department.

Health officials believe Hoke has not seen community spread to this point. That means the virus has not widely passed from one person to another in the county. Those infected could usually trace their exposure to COVID-19 to a known outbreak outside the county.

A mail carrier who works at the Raeford Post Office also tested positive for coronavirus last week. The mail carrier apparently does not live in Hoke County.

The News-Journal has reached out to local health officials for further details on the five newly identified cases, and will update this story when that information becomes available.