NC reports 305 new COVID-19 cases in Mecklenburg, hospitalizations increase

An additional 305 coronavirus cases were identified Sunday in Mecklenburg County, according to state health data.

The new lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases bring the county’s total since mid-March to 10,592.

According to the North Carolina Health and Human Service’s data dashboard, 1,605 new coronavirus cases were reported statewide on Sunday. So far North Carolina has seen a total of 62,142 cases. Testing for COVID-19 has increased, too. In North Carolina, nearly 872,000 tests have been administered.

Also Sunday, state health officials reported four new deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the total number of people who have died in North Carolina due to the virus to 1,322. In Mecklenburg, a total of 149 people have died, according to health officials’ latest update, released Saturday night.

Mecklenburg health officials say just more than 10% of the people tested for coronavirus locally have been diagnosed with COVID-19 — a slight decrease over the last two weeks. The number of people needing hospitalization for coronavirus has increased, according to local health data.

Last week, the number of patients hospitalized locally with COVID-19 rose to a high of 145 people. The number of hospitalizations in Mecklenburg, and across the state, has trended up in recent weeks.

For the week ending June 24, the most recent data available, the average number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized each day in Mecklenburg was 134, health data show. For comparison, in late April, the average was 57 people. In mid-May, the average was 70 people. And in early June, the average was 106 people.

The rise in hospitalizations has coincided with a drop in social distancing and the phasing out of stay-at-home restrictions on gatherings, travel and businesses. As North Carolina reopens many businesses and activities, public health experts have urged individuals to continue social distancing and the state now requires people wear a mask in most public settings.

Overall, about 1 in 15 people diagnosed in the county have been hospitalized due to their illness. Older adults, officials say, are overwhelming more likely to face significant health complications from the virus.

After symptoms of coronavirus subside, a person diagnosed may be “released” from isolation under CDC guidelines. In Mecklenburg, more than half of the people who tested positive have met the criteria to end isolation, according to local health officials.

Anna Douglas

The Charlotte Observer

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Anna Douglas is The Charlotte Observer’s deputy managing editor and previously worked as an investigative reporter and news editor in the newsroom. Prior to joining the Observer, she worked as a local news reporter for The (Rock Hill) Herald and as a congressional correspondent in Washington, D.C., for McClatchy. Anna is a past recipient of the South Carolina Press Association’s Journalist of the Year award and the Charlotte Society of Professional Journalists’ Outstanding Journalism Award. She’s a South Carolina native, a graduate of Winthrop University, and a past fellow of the Dori Maynard Diversity Leadership Program, sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists. Anna has lived in Charlotte since May 2017.