Mecklenburg records 9 new COVID-19 deaths, the highest since the start of the pandemic

Mecklenburg County health officials on Tuesday recorded a new single-day high for coronavirus-related deaths. Officials said nine more people have died from COVID-19.

The death toll is 248.

Previously, the highest number of fatalities reported in a single day was seven, which occurred on May 27 and June 6.

The newly-reported deaths come as other key COVID-19 metrics locally show improvements.

Hospitalizations, the average number of new daily cases and the positivity rate of tests have all decreased in recent weeks. But health officials say deaths are considered a lagging indicator in the coronavirus pandemic, trailing weeks behind infections and hospitalizations.

There have been 22,462 lab-confirmed cases in Mecklenburg since mid-March, according to state health data released earlier Tuesday.

The average number of people dying per day in Mecklenburg County, data show, has increased slightly.

In the last 30 days alone, health officials have reported 80 people died from coronavirus complications. In the 30 days before that, the total was 45.

Since the first case fatality was reported in late March, health data show an average of 1.7 COVID-19 deaths per day in Mecklenburg County.

This story was originally published August 11, 2020 at 5:20 PM.