COVID-19 in Mecklenburg County: 230 new cases reported Sunday 

Mecklenburg County added 230 new coronavirus cases on Sunday according to state health data. The county has seen a total of 12,806 coronavirus cases since mid-March.

The increase comes as the daily number of new coronavirus cases in Mecklenburg has trended upward in the last month. On Friday, the county saw its biggest one-day increase in cases. From June 29 to July 5, the average number of new cases reported daily in Mecklenburg was 316. For the week prior, the average was 262.

Key metrics like hospitalizations and the percent of tests that return positive have also increased in recent weeks, according to data from the Mecklenburg County Health Department.

Health officials say 155 people with COVID-19 have died locally, as of Friday afternoon. Updated information was not made available Saturday or Sunday.

Statewide, the state Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,329 new cases Sunday, for a total of 72,983, and one more death, for a total of 1,396.

Mecklenburg COVID-19 update

As of June 30 — the last date demographic data was publicly available — county coronavirus data show:

▪ During the past week, an average of 144 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 11.2% of individuals who were tested were positive for COVID-19 during the past week. Mecklenburg County Public Health says this represents a 14-day “stable trend.” These data only include tests conducted by Atrium Health and Novant Health.

▪ Most people — about three in four out of more than 10,300 cases — adults ages 20 to 59 years old.

▪ 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.

▪ 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.

▪ The majority of people who have died from COVID-19 locally were connected to “active outbreaks” in long-term care facilities or nursing homes. Still, two of the 151 deaths recorded as of June 30 were among people who had no known underlying conditions. And 18 of the people who died were between the ages of 40 to 59.

This story was originally published July 5, 2020 at 2:14 PM.

Amanda Zhou

The Charlotte Observer

704-358-5046

Amanda Zhou covers public safety for The Charlotte Observer and writes about crime and police reform. She joined The Observer in 2019 and helped cover the George Floyd protests in Charlotte in June 2020. Previously, she interned at the Indianapolis Star and Tampa Bay Times. She grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from Dartmouth College in 2019.