Mecklenburg coronavirus cases top 1,700. Western NC county reports 1st case. 

Mecklenburg County gained 25 more coronavirus cases, for a total of 1,724, according to state Department of Health and Human Services Sunday. County officials reported late Sunday an additional death, bringing the total of local fatalities to 51.

More than 60% of the Mecklenburg County residents who tested positive for the virus have been released from isolation, the county has said.

Yancey County, in the North Carolina mountains north of Asheville, reported its first case Sunday. That leaves Avery as the only one of the state’s 100 counties not to report a coronavirus positive test.

Statewide, DHHS reported 155 new cases Sunday, for a total of 11,664. The 422 reported deaths were two more than the previous day. Both totals were down dramatically from Saturday, when 586 new cases and 21 additional deaths were reported.

Mecklenburg County reported 1,717 total cases late Sunday. County and state data differ because Mecklenburg includes only county residents, unlike the state, and the two have different reporting windows.

The continued rise in new cases is due in part to more widespread testing, state officials say.

They consider a more important measure to be the percentage of those tested who get positive results. Those have trended downward since April 18, state data show.

Health officials say the totals aren’t precise because many people with COVID-19 symptoms haven’t been tested.

This story was originally published May 3, 2020 at 11:44 AM.