Mecklenburg hits record single-day hike in COVID-19 cases. Cooper warns NC of ‘danger’

Mecklenburg County recorded its largest ever single-day increase of COVID-19 cases on Sunday, according to state data. And the county is quickly nearing its previous peak in daily hospitalizations, as well.

Mecklenburg added 534 infections on Sunday — a volume that far eclipses caseloads seen in late July, when the county saw its first coronavirus peak.

During that summer wave, some 200 people required acute-level hospital care, local public health data show. Average hospitalizations in Mecklenburg are edging close to that number, with 180 people seeking treatment as of Wednesday, the most recent day data was made available.

Meanwhile, Gov. Roy Cooper gave a “stark warning” to North Carolinians on Monday, urging caution ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday that some experts worry could prompt an even larger spike of coronavirus across the state.

“We are in danger,” Cooper said in a news conference. “This is a pivotal moment in our fight against the coronavirus. Our actions now will determine the fate of many.”

Cooper announced a new executive order Monday, tightening the state’s mask mandate, calling on residents to wear a mask “whenever you are with someone you don’t live with.”

He had previously reduced his limit on gatherings to no more than 10 people. Monday’s order will extend that restriction through Dec. 11.

The governor urged families to stay home for Thanksgiving, saying the next seven to 14 days could decide whether the state will enact more restrictions.

“We don’t want to go back,” Cooper said. “But we will if necessary.”

The new state mask mandate will go into effect Wednesday at 5 p.m., ahead of Thanksgiving and Black Friday gatherings.

Health officials say small private gatherings with extended family and friends are fueling the bulk of new coronavirus cases — leaving the impact of the governor’s stricter mask mandate an open question.

Recently, Mecklenburg’s COVID-19 ambassadors — tasked with visiting local businesses and educating employees on coronavirus restrictions — found that 91% of nearly 3,000 businesses inspected complied with mask wearing. The overwhelming majority of businesses also followed social distancing and occupancy limits, Mecklenburg Deputy Public Health Director Raynard Washington said last week.

Revised county map alerts

Despite the worsening trends, the state on Monday did not change Mecklenburg’s level on its county-by-county alert system, even as North Carolina doubled the number of counties at the most dire level. The system uses a combination of three metrics: case rate, percent positive of tests and hospital impact within the county.

Yet ahead of schedule, 10 more N.C. counties moved into the “red zone” of COVID-19 spread. Mecklenburg County is still in the “yellow zone,” experiencing “significant” community spread.

In the revised map, nearby Lincoln and Catawba counties saw their rankings change — Lincoln from yellow to orange and Catawba from orange to red.

Every county in the state has been experiencing community spread, said Dr. Many Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Last week, Mecklenburg was one of 38 counties put in the yellow tier. Forty-two are orange. And 20, including Gaston County, are designated red, meaning those are areas with the most severe spread and most likely to strain hospital resources with COVID-19 patients who need higher levels of medical care.

Though Mecklenburg is not yet in the orange or red zones, the county could be heading that way, County Manager Dena Diorio said last week.

All of Mecklenburg’s key COVID-19 metrics are moving in the wrong direction. And coronavirus cases locally are “starting to accelerate,” Washington said Friday.

On Friday, Charlotte area officials urged people to avoid large gatherings, find virtual ways to celebrate the holiday and get tested for COVID-19.

‘Extreme concern’

The soaring numbers have troubled several Mecklenburg County commissioners, who are fearful more restrictions — including another stay-at-home order — might be needed to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Mecklenburg officials have not responded to Observer questions about when the next coronavirus peak — or the greatest strain on local hospital systems — could occur, based on modeling from universities and local health systems.

Such information was previously disclosed last spring, when the county disclosed the demand for hospital beds and ventilators depending on how well residents followed social distancing guidelines.

“I have extreme concern,” Commissioner Susan Harden said in a recent interview. “If we get to a place where we have huge outbreaks in our long-term care facilities and our hospitals are overwhelmed, you have to consider a lockdown because you just don’t have any other choice.”

Still, Mecklenburg Public Health Director Gibbie Harris has said such an order would be “a really hard sell in our community.”

Since the start of the pandemic in March, Mecklenburg has logged 41,073 cumulative cases, N.C. DHHS reported Monday. That’s a rate of 370 cases for every 10,000 residents. The death toll was 436, local officials reported Monday afternoon.

This story was originally published November 23, 2020 at 12:26 PM.