North Carolina COVID-19 numbers increase by more than 1,000 Sunday
North Carolina added more than 1,000 coronavirus cases Sunday, according to the state health department.
The state Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,086 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 and one new related death since Saturday.
At least 176,901 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 2,890 have died, NC DHHS reported.
The number of completed COVID-19 tests increased by 32,079 Sunday to 2,442,950.
About 6% of the tests were positive as of Saturday, the latest date available.
The number of those in the state hospitalized for COVID-19 decreased by one on Sunday to 830, according to DHHS.
About 77% of hospitals reported hospitalization information Sunday, according to the state data, compared to 82% the day before.
The last time the COVID-19 hospitalization numbers were so low was on June 16, when 829 people were hospitalized. Hospitalizations continued to increase thereafter and peaked at 1,236 on July 29.
DHHS advises that the data on the COVID-19 dashboard is preliminary and can be adjusted as more reporting is collected. They advise looking at trends over a period of time.
Four main metrics
State public health officials track coronavirus spread through four main metrics, including —hospitalizations, people reporting COVID-19 symptoms at emergency rooms, the number of new cases, and the percentage of people who tested positive.
The state’s trajectory of lab-confirmed cases and percent of positive tests remains stable, state officials have said.
The trajectory of people presenting COVID-19 like symptoms at emergency rooms have continued to decline, as well as hospitalizations.
Hospitalizations down
The hospitalizations have continued to drop despite an increase in cases and clusters among students across the state, The News & Observer reported.
Young people are less likely to have underlying health problems that are more likely to require hospitalization, doctors say.
Dr. Cameron Wolfe, an infectious disease specialist at Duke University Health System, said health officials are watching for signs that young people, who may be asymptomatic, may spread it to their parents, grandparents and others who could be at higher risk.
“In those cases, the risk of getting sick enough to need the hospital goes up again,” Wolfe wrote in an email. “So far we have NOT seen that sort of spill-over event to any great extent.”
The Triangle and Charlotte
The numbers of new cases climbed in the Triangle and in the Charlotte area.
As of Sunday afternoon:
▪ Mecklenburg County cases increased by 83 to 26,211. The county has has 309 related deaths.
▪ Wake County cases increased by 86 to 15,741 . The county has has 210 related deaths.
▪ Durham County cases increased by 13 to 7,114. Eighty-five people have died.
▪ Orange County’s cases increased by 79 to 2,418. Fifty-one people have died.
