2 more people have died from coronavirus in Mecklenburg, bringing toll to 21 

The coronavirus has killed two more people in Mecklenburg County, raising the total to 21, county health officials said Thursday. Nearly 1,100 county residents have tested positive for COVID-19.

Guilford County, with 10 deaths according to state data Thursday, is the only other North Carolina county with double-digit fatalities from the virus.

The 1,098 total cases reported in Mecklenburg on Thursday is an increase of 46 from the county-reported total on Wednesday. That total is about twice that of any other N.C. county.

State officials had put Mecklenburg County’s case total at 1,084 as of Thursday morning, an increase of 69 new state-reported cases.

State data on the virus often differs from that reported by Mecklenburg‘s health department. The county only reports cases among Mecklenburg residents, while the state includes people who were locally treated but live outside the county. State data is also reported in the morning, the county’s typically in the afternoon.

County public health Director Gibbie Harris suggested earlier this week, when far fewer new cases were reported, that the shutdown of testing labs over the Easter holiday may partly account for the fluctuations.

Statewide figures showed a sharp rise, to 5,465 cases and 131 deaths Thursday. That total represents 342 additional cases and 14 deaths since Wednesday. The number of currently hospitalized patients rose more modestly, to 452, a gain of 14.

Iredell County reported its third death from the virus on Thursday.

The day’s counts came despite local and state health officials noting a slowing of the rate of the virus’ spread.

How many people in North Carolina have been infected by the highly contagious respiratory illness but recovered? That’s a question state officials would like to answer, but they say it’s been elusive.

Many people with coronavirus symptoms are never tested to confirm they were infected.

DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen told reporters Thursday that the state is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other states on a standardized way to define recovery.

“Our scientists are trying to find a way to report recovery in a reliable way,” she said.

In Mecklenburg County, Harris has said about half of the people who have tested positive have since been released from isolation.

Local stay-at-home order extended

Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and its six towns on Thursday formally extended a stay-at-home order through April 29, consistent with statewide restrictions.

The initial order went into effect March 26 and would have expired Thursday. County officials said Tuesday that the extension would be made, and it went into effect at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

The order prohibits mass gatherings and travel except by workers in jobs deemed “essential,” and for purposes such as procuring food or medical help. The extension incorporates statewide restrictions, including those that limit how many people can be in businesses that are still open.

County manager Dena Diorio has said Mecklenburg would follow Gov. Roy Cooper’s lead on deciding whether to extend the state stay-at-home orders into May.

Cooper said this week said positive trends in coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations, more widespread testing and “contact tracing” to probe the movements of sick people, will be needed before social distancing restrictions can be eased.

Campus shooting memorial moved online

UNC Charlotte said it will observe the first anniversary of the 2019 campus shooting that killed students Reed Parlier and Riley Howell and wounded four other students in a virtual memorial.

The online program will be held at 5:10 p.m. on April 30, marking the hour and date of the shooting inside a UNCC classroom. It will feature remarks by student and administration leaders, a video and original composition by faculty members and musical performances by alumni.

“Though we will not be able to conduct planned remembrance ceremonies in person, it doesn’t mean the day will have any less significance,” Chancellor Phil Dubois wrote the campus community this week. “Perseverance is a trademark of Niner Nation, and we are committed to finding meaningful ways to honor the lives lost and all those affected. Indeed, in this unprecedented time, it is more critical than ever.”

Wear face masks, county says

Mecklenburg County officials now say people should wear cloth face coverings or masks when they go to grocery stores, pharmacies and other public places.

The guidance comes as state health officials note the rate of COVID-19 spread has likely slowed. But Mecklenburg County says there is “significant community spread” of the coronavirus locally.

The guidelines are in line with the latest from the CDC, which recommends people wear a mask in public places where social distancing is difficult or impossible to guarantee.

Yard waste pickup

Charlotte’s Solid Waste Services said it will temporarily resume curbside pickup of yard waste on April 27 to help residents get rid of debris from storms Monday and spring lawn maintenance.

The move reverses the city’s position on Monday, when officials said there was no plan to resume pickups that were discontinued March 23, for 30 days, to protect workers from the coronavirus.

The April 27 pickups will be for one time only, the city said Thursday. Residents are advised to put their yard waste at the curb prior that day and leave it until it is collected. Visit the city’s website for details.

Officials: Rate of spread is slowing

State and local health officials said earlier this week that the rate at which the virus spreads is slowing as the effects of social distancing take hold.

In the seven-day period of April 4-10, Mecklenburg County reported an average of 44 new cases a day, an Observer analysis found. Between Good Friday and Wednesday, the daily average fell to just 23 cases.

The CEOs of Charlotte’s Novant Health and Atrium Health announced Wednesday they might not need a 600-bed field hospital, potentially to be built inside the Charlotte Convention Center, to help absorb an expected surge of coronavirus patients.

“We’re flattening the curve and fewer people are getting sick at the same time,” Secretary Mandy Cohen of the state Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday.

Easing away from restrictions that have shuttered businesses and thrown hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians out of work will happen slowly, Gov. Roy Cooper told reporters.

Cooper laid out three criteria: Increased testing to detect who’s sick with the virus and who has recovered from it; greatly expanded contact tracing to identify where and with whom infected people have been; and positive trends in new cases, deaths and hospitalizations.

GOP officials are still moving ahead with plans for the Republican National Convention that would bring 50,000 people to Charlotte for the four-day gathering in August.

But what planners have envisioned as a “made-for-TV” event might not require an arena. TV production studios could allow President Trump and other speakers to appear from virtually anywhere, experts say.

This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 11:45 AM.