Meck coronavirus cases top 2,100. Positive tests high among young Hispanic people, officials say

Mecklenburg has seen a total of 2,106 coronavirus cases since mid-March and 63 deaths among residents, according to county health officials Sunday.

The increase comes as both state and local health officials say testing for COVID-19 has increased.

About two-thirds of the Mecklenburg County people who tested positive for the virus have been released from isolation, the county has said.

Mecklenburg, which unlike the state reports only cases among county residents, had reported 2,055 cases on Saturday afternoon. Health officials say the totals may only be a snapshot because many people with COVID-19 symptoms haven’t been tested.

Statewide, DHHS reported 404 new cases Sunday, for a total of 14,764 across 99 counties, and 3 more deaths, for a total of 547. More than 192,000 COVID-19 tests have been administered in North Carolina, DHHS officials say.

A disproportionate number of Hispanic people have tested positive in Mecklenburg, county health data show. Close to 25% of the county’s cases are among the Hispanic population, officials said late last week when there were a total of 1,870 known cases. And of those, data show 9 of 10 cases are among Hispanic people under the age of 60 — “compared to other race groups where only 60-65% are less than 60 years (old),” Mecklenburg health officials said Friday in a news statement.

“Some factors influencing this trend include: targeted testing occurring in neighborhoods with lower access to care, some of which have larger Hispanic populations; higher proportions of Hispanics working in essential jobs that make social distancing difficult; and pre-existing disparities in other social and economic determinants of health, like poverty,” according to the statement.

Data has shown a similar trend among black residents in the Charlotte area. Compared to the local population, black residents were testing positive at a higher rate than white resident, which health officials said was the result of longstanding health disparities. Some elected officials have criticized early decisions on local testing site locations, saying some majority-black neighborhoods were initially neglected.

The county has released targeted COVID-19 awareness campaigns for both black and Hispanic residents.

Mecklenburg COVID-19 update

As of May 6— the last date demographic data was available — county coronavirus data show:

▪ An average of about 57 people with lab-confirmed coronavirus infections were hospitalized at acute-care facilities in the past week. Those numbers reflect a decrease over the past two weeks, according to Mecklenburg health officials.

▪ An average of 7.5% of people who were tested were positive, showing a “slight” decrease over the last 14 days, health officials say.

▪ About 3 in 4 people diagnosed with COVID-19 locally were adults ages 20 to 59 years old.

▪ About 1 in 6 people diagnosed were hospitalized due to their illness. People age 60 or older were four times as likely to need hospital care compared to younger people with coronavirus.

▪ About 3 in 4 people diagnosed with COVID-19 locally were adults ages 20 to 59 years old.

This story was originally published May 10, 2020 at 11:37 AM.