North Carolina COVID-19 cases continued to climb Sunday, hospitalizations fell slightly
The number of new coronavirus cases in North Carolina continued to climb Sunday as the number of those tested in the state nears 2 million.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,453 new COVID-19 cases across the state Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 136,218.
The agency reported 2,168 people have died, up eight from a day earlier.
The number of those in the state hospitalized for COVID-19 dropped by 20 Sunday to 1,109.
It isn’t unusual for the number of hospitalizations to fall on Sunday, as fewer hospitals typically report information on that day.
On Sunday, 84% of hospitals in the state reported information on COVID-19 patients, compared to 87% on Saturday, according to DHHS.
The number of completed COVID-19 tests increased by 16,782 on Sunday to 1,986,548.
The percentage of positive cases from daily testing fell one percent to 6% Saturday, the latest date available.
Throughout August, July and June, the percentage of positive tests has fluctuated between 7 and 10.
The last time it fell to 6% was in May, according to data maintained by The News & Observer.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, has said the state wants that number to be closer to 5%.
State public health officials track coronavirus spread through metrics that include hospitalizations, the number of new cases, and the percentage of people who tested positive.
Triangle and Charlotte COVID-19 cases
The number of new cases also continued to climb in the Triangle and in the Charlotte area.
As of Sunday afternoon:
▪ Mecklenburg County cases increased by 189 to 22,255. The county has 228 deaths, an increase of two since Saturday.
▪ Wake County cases increased by 122 to 12,028. The county has 170 deaths, up two since Saturday.
▪ Durham County cases increased by 57 to 6,171. Eighty people have died.
▪ Orange County’s cases increased by seven to 1,348. Forty-seven have died in Orange.
