Meck sees triple-digit increase in new COVID-19 cases. Hospitalizations rise locally, across NC

State health officials on Thursday reported another triple-digit single-day increase in Mecklenburg County COVID-19 cases. It’s the sixth time in two weeks that 100 or more new local cases have been reported in a 24-hour period.

Mecklenburg has seen a total of 3,605 coronavirus cases since mid-March, according to state health data Thursday morning. The number is cumulative since mid-March. The county added 127 new cases from the previous day, the state Department of Health and Human Services reported.

Local health officials say they’re increasing COVID testing and want to nearly double the number of tests administered weekly, which would likely lead to larger daily increases in the number of cases. So far, the county is slightly behind its goal to test more than 55,000 people over a 30-day period.

Also Thursday, North Carolina reported its highest one-day total of statewide coronavirus-related hospitalizations — 708 people — since the virus first emerged.

County data released earlier this week shows the Mecklenburg has seen a slight increase in daily case totals, hospitalizations and percentage of positive COVID-19 tests since entering phase one of the state’s reopening plan on May 8. Data is not yet available related to COVID-19 cases that emerged with phase two’s reopening of restaurant dining rooms and other businesses.

Health officials say 86 people with COVID-19 have died locally, as of Wednesday night. More than half of those were people connected to nursing homes or long-term care facilities, according to the county health department.

Statewide, DHHS reported 934 new cases Thursday, for a total of 25,412, and 33 more deaths, for a total of 827.

Mecklenburg COVID-19 update

As of May 25 — the last date demographic data was publicly available — county coronavirus data show:

▪ An average of about 70 people with lab-confirmed coronavirus infections were hospitalized at acute-care facilities in the past week. Those numbers reflect an increase over the past two weeks, according to Mecklenburg health officials.

▪ An average of 7.4% of people who were tested were positive, showing a slight increase over the last 14 days, health officials say. The figure includes only COVID-19 tests conducted by Atrium Health and Novant Health.

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

▪ Around 2 in 3 cases have met the criteria to be released from isolation.

▪ About 1 in 8 people diagnosed were hospitalized due to their illness. People age 60 or older were more likely to need hospital care compared to younger people with coronavirus.

▪ The exact number of people in Charlotte and Mecklenburg with COVID-19 is unknown and many people with the virus have not been tested, health officials say. The case total likely represents a “fraction” of all people with coronavirus, Mecklenburg officials have said.

This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 11:24 AM.