Mecklenburg tops 19,000 COVID-19 cases. Here’s how to get one of its 1.5M free masks.
Mecklenburg County on Saturday topped 19,000 total coronavirus cases since March, state health officials reported in a 1 p.m. update.
The county had 338 new cases, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. That raised the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 19,041 in Mecklenburg since the pandemic began.
Another death was reported Saturday afternoon by health officials. A total of 188 people have died due to COVID-19 in the county, Mecklenburg health officials said.
The county and its community partners, meanwhile, hit the half-million mark in their free mask giveaway initiative, the county tweeted Saturday.
Nearly 1.5 million free masks remain available, according to the tweet.
For YMCA and other sites with free masks, visit https://atriumhealth.org/about-us/coronavirus/masks.
Statewide, 111,092 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 1,778 have died, state health officials said Saturday.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported on Saturday an additional 2,097 cases of the virus, down slightly from 2,102 the day before. The record of 2,481 daily cases was reported July 18.
Nearly 1.6 million coronavirus tests have been completed in North Carolina. About 8% of tests were positive, according to Saturday’s update by the state DHHS. That was down from 9% Thursday, although officials want the percentage to be closer to 5%.
On Friday, Mecklenburg had an average of about 292 new cases daily over the past week, according to state health data. Coronavirus hospitalization and case totals continue to rise in the county, a trend that has remained largely the same over the past month.
Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio told elected officials Friday that four people who work at county pools have tested positive for COVID-19. In an effort to slow the spread of the virus, officials from Charlotte and surrounding towns approved a late-night alcohol sales ban that went into effect Thursday.
Mecklenburg COVID-19 update
As of July 22 — the last date demographic data was publicly available — county coronavirus data show:
▪ During the past week, an average of 197 individuals with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infections were hospitalized at acute care facilities in Mecklenburg County. Health officials say this trend represents a slight increase over the past two weeks. The number of people needing hospital-level care with COVID-19 has been steadily increasing locally since May.
▪An average of 10.9% of individuals who were tested were positive for COVID-19 during the past week. Mecklenburg County Public Health says this represents a stable trend over the last 14 days. The data only include tests conducted by Atrium Health, Novant Health and CVS Health.
▪ Most people — about 60% of more than 18,000 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.
▪ After symptoms of coronavirus subside, a person diagnosed may be “released” from isolation under CDC guidelines. In Mecklenburg, roughly 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 illness. People age 60 or older were more likely to need hospital care compared to younger people with coronavirus.
▪ More than half of the 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 186 deaths recorded as of July 22 were among people who had no known underlying conditions. Twenty-four of the people who died were between the ages of 40 to 59, and three people were under the age of 40.
This story was originally published July 25, 2020 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Mecklenburg tops 19,000 COVID-19 cases. Here’s how to get one of its 1.5M free masks.."