Triangle COVID-19 trends: NC moves into Phase 2.5; cases continue to increase

N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper announced last week that Phase 2.5 would begin Friday, allowing gyms and other fitness centers, museums, playgrounds and aquariums to open with occupancy limits.

Meanwhile, coronavirus case numbers continue to increase across the Triangle.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 15,655 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wake on Saturday. DHHS reported 210 deaths in Wake County Saturday.

Meanwhile, DHHS reported 7,101 cases in Durham County Saturday and 85 deaths.

DHHS reported 2,399 cases and 51 deaths in Orange County Saturday.

As of Saturday, NC DHHS reported 175,815 cases statewide and 2,889 deaths.

Coronavirus data in Wake, Durham and Orange counties

Here is a look at COVID-19 data in Wake, Durham and Orange counties, as of Sept. 5.

▪ Percentage of positive tests. Percentage of positive tests are dropping across the Triangle. DHHS reports a one-week average of positive tests of 4.2% in Durham County. Orange averaged 6.9% of tests returning positive. Wake averaged 6.1%.

▪ Hospitalizations. The state reported 831 people in the hospital as of Saturday, 115 fewer than were hospitalized last Saturday.

▪ Demographics. Hispanic people made up 59% of Durham County’s COVID-19 cases, and 39% of Wake’s, according to DHHS, despite being less than 15% of the population in both counties. In Orange County, Hispanic people account for 33% of the cases while comprising less than 10% of the population.

In Orange County, 43% of deaths were among Black people, while comprising just over 10% of the population, according to Census estimates. Forty-eight percent of COVID deaths in Durham County were among Black people, despite making up less than 40% of the population; 37% of COVID deaths in Wake County were among Black people, despite making up around 20% of the population.

This story was originally published September 5, 2020 at 2:57 PM.