Mecklenburg County surpasses 17,000 total cases of COVID-19
Mecklenburg County has surpassed 17,000 COVID-19 cases since March, state health officials reported Saturday.
The county added 390 more cases of the disease since Friday’s report, according to an Observer analysis of state data.
That lifted the total number of cases in the county since March to 17,047, state health officials said.
Mecklenburg County saw its highest daily increase in COVID-19 cases on July 11, when 450 new cases were reported, the Observer previously reported.
A total of 177 people in the county have died of COVID-19-related causes, county officials said. At least two-thirds of them died in outbreaks at long-term care facilities.
North Carolina reached a single-day record of new cases Saturday, with 2,481 reported, Observer news partner WBTV reported.
That marked the 25th straight day of more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases statewide, and the third straight day of at least 2,000 cases, according to the station.
Statewide, 97,958 people have tested positive for COVID-19, according to state figures Saturday. Overnight, 23 more deaths were reported, for a statewide total of 1,629 since March.
On Friday, three new congregate living facilities in Mecklenburg were reported to be experiencing outbreaks, the latest county data showed: Accordius-Midwood, Woodbridge Road Group Home and Harrisburg Road Group Home. A total of 32 facilities have active coronavirus outbreaks in Mecklenburg.
County officials said Friday they were finalizing a restriction on late-night alcohol sales for Charlotte and some of its surrounding towns, in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus. It is unclear how soon the ban will take effect, though Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio said the proclamation requires state review, as well as signatures from elected leaders.
Mecklenburg COVID-19 update
As of July 15 — the last date demographic data was publicly available — county coronavirus data show:
▪ During the past week, an average of 178 individuals with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 infections were hospitalized at acute care facilities in Mecklenburg County. This was an increase over the previous 14 days.
▪An average 11.3% of individuals who were tested were positive for COVID-19 during the past week. Mecklenburg County Public Health says this represents a “stable trend.” The data only include tests conducted by Atrium Health, Novant Health and CVS Health.
▪ Most people — about three in four out of nearly 16,200 cases — were 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 diagnosed were hospitalized due to their COVID-19 infection. People age 60 or older were more likely to need hospital care compared to younger people with coronavirus.
The majority of people who have died from COVID-19 locally were connected to active outbreaks in long-term care facilities or nursing homes. Still, two of the 169 deaths recorded as of July 15 were people who had no known underlying conditions. Twenty-two of the people who died were between the ages of 40 to 59, and one person was under the age of 40.