New COVID-19 outbreak at Charlotte childcare center. County sets new hospitalization record.

Mecklenburg reported a COVID-19 outbreak at a second childcare facility Tuesday and released data showing hospitalizations and the county’s test positivity rate continue to rise.

County officials added Heaven’s Angels Childcare in Charlotte to a list of facilities with an active COVID-19 outbreak. Late last month, the health department reported the first outbreak identified at a local childcare facility.

A total of 22 other facilities — including nursing homes, rehab centers, group homes and the Mecklenburg County Detention Center — are contending with coronavirus outbreaks, county records show.

Also Tuesday, county officials released data showing Mecklenburg has reached a new high in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 per day. The single-highest day, so far, happened July 2, when 182 people were hospitalized, Mecklenburg data show. Previously, county records showed a high of 152 people hospitalized on June 29.

The average number of individuals with confirmed COVID-19 infections who were hospitalized locally during the past week has risen to 165, representing an increase over the last 14 days. In the week ending June 30, county health officials said an average of 144 people were hospitalized per day. The average for the month of June was 120 per day.

The latest data also show Mecklenburg added 206 new cases from the previous day, the state Department of Health and Human Services reported. The county has seen a total of 13,317 coronavirus cases, according to state health data. The number is cumulative since mid-March.

Statewide, DHHS reported 1,346 new cases Tuesday, for a total of 75,875, and 22 more deaths, for a total of 1,420.

The test positivity rate has also risen, according to county officials. An average of 11.6 percent of individuals who were tested during the past week were positive for COVID-19, representing a “slight increase” over the last 14 days. The data only includes tests conducted by Atrium Health, Novant Health and CVS Health.

Health officials say 156 people with COVID-19 have died locally, as of Monday. More than half of those were people connected to nursing homes or long-term care facilities, according to the health department. Still, two of the 151 deaths recorded as of July 5 were among people who had no known underlying conditions. And 19 of the people who died were between the ages of 40 to 59.

Mecklenburg COVID-19 update

As of July 5 — the last date demographic data was publicly available — county coronavirus data show:

▪ Most people — about three in four out of more than 12,400 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, nearly half of the people who tested positive have met the criteria to end isolation, according to local health officials.

▪ About 1 in 20 people, or 5%, 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.