COVID-19 cases rise more slowly around Charlotte region as NC weighs Phase 3

With a looming decision on whether to move North Carolina into the next phase of reopening, data released Wednesday in the Charlotte region again show a modest COVID-19 caseload improvement.

State health officials reported 201 new cases of COVID-19 in Mecklenburg and a Charlotte Observer analysis of caseload data shows the 14-day average has been falling for about two weeks.

In total, the county has seen 21,517 cases since mid-March. Close to 75% of those diagnosed so far have since recovered and been released from isolation orders, county health officials say.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to announce Wednesday whether the state will move into its next phase of reopening.

As of late Tuesday, 224 people have died locally from the coronavirus, according to Mecklenburg Public Health Department.

An Observer analysis of county data showed the current weekly average rate of positive coronavirus tests fell modestly to 9%, which is slightly lower than it was in both June and July.

The county reported the amount of hospitalized patients per day fell for the first time since April, for a week straight, though slightly. Hospitalizations in Mecklenburg had previously climbed in recent weeks, according to previous reporting from the Observer.

Mecklenburg’s neighboring county Gaston has seen a similar decline in the percentage of positive tests.

Gaston, which saw 41 additional cases Wednesday, reported a weekly positivity rate average of 10.03%, a decrease from the past three weeks in July. That data is from the county’s health department.

Also similar to Mecklenburg, the 14-day average of new cases reported per day in Gaston County has been modestly dropping since July 20, an Observer analysis shows.

County health officials say there have been a total of 3,124 cases in Gaston since March. As of Wednesday, a total of 42 people have died from COVID-19 in Gaston.

The move Phase 3 has been delayed twice. In mid-July, Cooper cited trends moving the wrong direction, including the amount of cases, deaths and hospitalizations for the delay.

Statewide, the Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,127 new cases Wednesday, bringing the cumulative total to 129,288.

North Carolina announced 40 additional deaths, marking a total of 2,050 deaths across the state.

There are currently 1,167 people hospitalized, according to health officials.

Mecklenburg COVID-19 update

As of August 2 — the last date demographic data was publicly available — county coronavirus data show:

▪ During the past week, an average of 183 individuals with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 infections were hospitalized at acute care facilities in Mecklenburg County. Health officials say this trend represents a slight decrease over the past two weeks.

▪An average of 8.9% of individuals who were tested were positive for COVID-19 during the past week. Mecklenburg County Public Health says this represents a slight decrease over the last 14 days. These data only include tests conducted by Atrium Health, Novant Health and CVS Health. Those providers conduct the majority of tests locally.

▪ Most people — about 60% of more than 20,000 cases — were adults under the age of 40. People older than 60 account for less than 12% of all cases reported but about 85% of all deaths.

▪ About 1 in 20 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.

▪ About half of those people who have died from COVID-19 locally were connected to “active outbreaks” in long-term care facilities or nursing homes. Still, three of the 217 deaths recorded as of August 2 were among people who had no known underlying conditions. Twenty-nine of the people who died were between the ages of 40 to 59, and three people were under the age of 40.