2 dead from COVID-19, cases reach 68 from events tied to Charlotte church, county says
A growing COVID-19 outbreak at a Charlotte church — the largest identified by Mecklenburg officials to date — has now left at least two people dead, Mecklenburg County officials said late Wednesday.
The caseload has grown significantly — jumping to 68 cases now — since county health officials first announced the outbreak late Saturday. That was nearly a week after the multi-day event that wrapped up Oct. 11 at the United House of Prayer for All People on Beatties Ford Road.
The COVID-19 outbreak linked to the church is the largest outbreak publicly reported by Mecklenburg County Public Health. County officials urged anyone who attended to get tested.
At least four people have been hospitalized, the county said.
The county said it will host a no-cost, drive-thru testing event at a health department site from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday at 2845 Beatties Ford Road near the church. United House of Prayer leaders have not agreed to conduct testing on site, Mecklenburg health officials told county commissioners Tuesday.
Deputy Health Director Raynard Washington said he has been in daily contact with the pastor of the church. He said the church has encouraged members to get tested.
Mecklenburg County Public Health is trying to reach 94 close contacts reported by the 68 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19.
County officials also have notified other local health departments in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, New Jersey and New York to monitor for cases connected to the church events.
The church was founded a century ago in Massachusetts by Bishop Charles Manuel “Sweet Daddy” Grace, who hailed from the Cape Verde Islands off the African coast. The church remain well-known for brassy “shout” bands, mass baptisms and continued devotion to the bishops who succeeded the founder.
Independent living patients
At least six people who live at Madison Saints Paradise Independent Living have confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the county.
At least four of those people attended events at the church, Washington told reporters Wednesday evening. And one of the people who has died was connected to that cluster at Madison Saints Paradise Independent Living, Washington said.
Representatives from the senior home declined to comment Wednesday. In an email Wednesday, Mecklenburg County said the facility has reported that all residents have been tested for COVID-19.
An email to the House of Prayer’s headquarters in Washington was not returned Wednesday. Calls to the local church also have not been returned, and a reporter was unable to approach the church door because gates to the property were closed Wednesday.
The county does not know exactly how many people attended events at the United House of Prayer at 2321 Beatties Ford Road, county spokeswoman Rebecca Carter said. The county has received reports of small events with 25-50 people and larger events with up to 1,000 people throughout the week of Oct. 4 through 11, but those reports are unconfirmed, she said.
Washington said he believes at least 1,000 people attended events at the church from Oct. 4-11, based on videos he saw.
Washington described the gathering connected to the cases as a “convocation event” on Oct. 10 and 11, with other events throughout the week. There were activities both indoors and outdoors.
Facebook posts from people who say they attended convocation events at the Beatties Ford church appear to show that some people traveled to Charlotte from as far as Atlanta and Virginia.
The county offered testing Sunday after announcing the first nine cases connected to the event. There were 182 people who were tested at that testing event on Sunday and have received their testing results, Washington said.
This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 5:34 PM.
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