Mecklenburg nearing 10,000 COVID-19 cases as NC mask mandate starts Friday
Mecklenburg County has seen a total of 9,944 novel coronavirus cases, according to state health data Friday morning, ahead of a statewide mask mandate going into effect Friday at 5 p.m.
The case number is cumulative since mid-March.
The county added 330 new cases from the previous day, the state Department of Health and Human Services reported.
There continues to be a slight decrease in positive cases in the last 14 days. According to Mecklenburg health officials, an average of 10.3% of people tested were positive for the coronavirus over the past week. The county COVID-19 data now take into account tests administered by Atrium Health, Novant Health and CVS Health.
Health officials report that adding CVS Health data from May 29 has had “very little impact” on overall trends, according to a news release.
As of Friday, health officials say 147 people with COVID-19 have died locally, and no new deaths were recorded from the previous day. More than half of those were people connected to nursing homes or long-term care facilities, according to the health department.
Statewide, DHHS reported new cases 1635, for a total of 58,818, and 13 more deaths, for a total of 1,303.
Mecklenburg COVID-19 update
As of June 24 — the last date demographic data was publicly available — county coronavirus data show:
▪ During the past week, an average of 134 individuals with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 infections were hospitalized at acute care facilities in Mecklenburg County. This represents an increase over the last 14 days.
▪An average of 10.3% of individuals who were tested were positive for COVID-19 during the past week. This represents a slight decrease over the last 14 days. These data only include tests conducted by Atrium Health, Novant Health and CVS health.
▪ About 3 in 4 people diagnosed with COVID-19 locally were adults ages 20 to 59 years old.
▪ More than half of cases have met the criteria to be released from isolation.
▪ About 1 in 15 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.
▪ Over the past 14 days there has been a decrease in social distancing, based on publicly available mobility data.
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 26, 2020 at 12:43 PM.