SALISBURY — The first six days of September brought eight COVID-19 deaths in Rowan County, according data updated Thursday.

All of those were unvaccinated people and the total is now at 355 since the start of the pandemic.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported deaths on the following dates:

• Two deaths on Sept. 2

• Two deaths on Sept. 3

• One death on Saturday

• One death on Sunday

• Two deaths on Monday

Regional hospitalizations have been relatively flat since late August, fluctuating in the same range. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Rowan County’s region, the Triad Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, was 916 on Thursday after being 910 the previous day. There were 221 people with COVID-19 in intensive care, which is a slight decrease from 232 the prior day.

During a news briefing on Thursday, Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said the state has seen two weeks in a row with more than 900 North Carolinians needing an intensive care bed. One-third of people hospitalized with COVID-19 are younger than 49, she said.

Cohen said the state’s hospitals are strained, but they’re not overwhelmed.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Rowan County in the previous two weeks is 2,569, which remains No. 2 in the state when adjusted for population. About 22% of tests conducted in the previous two weeks have returned positive.

The percentage of people vaccinated for COVID-19 remained unchanged on Thursday — 49% of the Rowan population with at least one dose and 44% who are fully vaccinated.