CVS adds new COVID-19 testing sites in Charlotte; Mecklenburg cases jump past 6,150
Mecklenburg County’s coronavirus cases jumped by 294 on Thursday, coming just short of last week’s record single-day spike of 301 new cases.
Mecklenburg has seen a total of 6,155 coronavirus cases, the state Department of Health and Human Services reported Thursday afternoon. The number is cumulative since mid-March.
On Tuesday, the county’s new cases dipped to 62, before tallies returned to triple-digit increases.
Local health officials say the steep spikes reflect expanded coronavirus testing, as well as more recreational and commercial activity as North Carolina gradually reopens. Social distancing metrics have steadily dropped in Mecklenburg, while hospitalizations and the percent of people testing positive for COVID-19 are trending upward.
Health officials say 123 people with COVID-19 have died locally, as of Thursday. More than half of those were people connected to nursing homes or long-term care facilities, according to the health department.
Statewide, DHHS reported 1,310 new cases Thursday, for a total of 39,481, and 11 more deaths, for a total of 1,064.
New testing sites
CVS Health is opening 16 additional drive-thru coronavirus testing sites throughout North Carolina on Friday, including six in Charlotte. Last month, CVS had opened more than 50 drive-thru sites throughout the state, with many concentrated in Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and Cary.
The new sites will feature self-swab tests, but CVS employees will monitor the process, a company spokeswoman said Thursday. Test results should be available within three days.
Patients must schedule appointments online before arriving at testing sites, where they will receive a test kit.
There’s no out-of-pocket costs for the COVID-19 tests, and insurance will be accepted at the sites, the CVS spokeswoman said. Uninsured patients are covered through a DHHS program, she said.
Mecklenburg officials said Thursday that CVS can accommodate coronavirus testing needs for residents who recently participated in protests tied to police reform and racial justice following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The county’s statement comes as some asymptomatic protesters were told by healthcare providers they did not meet the criteria for testing — although Public Health Director Gibbie Harris urged everyone involved in mass gatherings to get tested.
About 2,000 residents are tested daily for the coronavirus, according to Harris. But federal and state health officials said this week that Mecklenburg must ramp up its testing capacity to slow the spread of the virus.
It remains unclear when Mecklenburg will have sufficient resources to test all county residents, regardless of their symptoms or possible exposure risks, Harris said Tuesday.
Here are the CVS drive-thru testing sites in Charlotte:
- 5700 Albemarle Road
- 1235 Pecan Ave.
- 306 East Woodlawn Road
- 4391 Central Ave.
- 2325 Village Lake Drive
- 16035 Johnston Road
- 9628 Rea Road
- 115 West Arrowood Road
- 11430 North Tryon St.
- 4098 Houston Field Court
- 10730 Providence Road
- 9915 Park Cedar Drive
- 9805 Rocky River Road
- 8420 Steele Creek Road
Mecklenburg COVID-19 update
As of June 7 — the last date demographic data was publicly available — county coronavirus data show:
▪ An average of about 98 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 9.7% of people who were tested were positive, showing an 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.
▪ More than half of Mecklenburg cases have met the criteria to be released from isolation.
▪ About 1 in 10 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.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhy don't we know how many tests have been done in Mecklenburg County?
Mecklenburg County Health Department collects data from local hospitals on the number of tests administered. County officials have said they do not know how many tests have been done outside of hospitals.
Non-hospital test centers and private labs report the number of tests and outcomes directly to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. The state health department reports on its website a daily count of the number of tests performed across North Carolina. A county-by-county breakdown of the number of tests has not been provided publicly.
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 1:17 PM.