NC sees 14-day decline in COVID-19 cases as Gov. Cooper lets elementary schools reopen

New COVID-19 cases in North Carolina increased by 1,552, the state reported Thursday, the highest one-day total since Sept. 5.

The new lab-confirmed cases bring the state total to 189,576 since the first cases were reported in March. The official total is likely an undercount because testing was rationed early in the pandemic.

Even with daily cases rising over the last three days, the total for the last 14 days is about 19% lower than for the previous two weeks.

In evaluating the state’s response to the pandemic, the state Department of Health and Human Services considers 14-day trends for metrics such as new cases, hospitalizations and the percent of new cases that are positive.

The news comes as North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Thursday that school districts will be allowed to reopen elementary schools for full-time, daily in-person instruction.

Most of the state’s elementary school students are only getting online classes or a mix of in-person and online classes now because of the state social-distancing restrictions put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19.

But Cooper announced that elementary schools can reopen under a “minimal social distancing” plan that allows all students to be on campus every day. Cooper, a Democrat, said at a news conference Thursday that the state’s coronavirus metrics have improved enough to ease restrictions on elementary schools.

Cooper has been under pressure to reopen K-12 public schools for in-person learning, and to allow parents of college football players into stadiums. Cooper’s Phase 2.5 health safety order limits outdoor gatherings to 50 people.

Cooper said middle schools and high schools would still be subject to his “moderate social distancing” requirements that limit how many people can be on campus.

DHHS reported 31 additional COVID-19 deaths Thursday, bringing COVID-19-related fatalities to 3,180. Older people are at risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms. Eighty percent of fatalities are among people 65 and older, DHHS reports.

The proportion of daily tests that were positive was at 5.6% on Tuesday. The World Health Organization recommends a positivity rate of 5% or less sustained for two weeks before states reopen. DHHS adjusted the percent positive rate reported for Monday to 5.9% from 5.8%.

Hospitals reported 894 COVID-19 patients hospitalized on Wednesday, down from 918 who were in hospitals on Tuesday, with information from 94% of 112 hospitals included each day.

The percentages of people who have gone to hospital emergency departments with COVID-like symptoms peaked in mid-July, but have declined through Sept. 5. The emergency room numbers remain higher than they were pre-pandemic.

Football player petition

Parents of N.C. State University football players are petitioning Cooper to let them into Carter-Finley Stadium for the home opener, The News & Observer reported. Parents argue that the stadium has plenty of room to allow for social distancing.

NC State has allotted 50 tickets for player parents, and those tickets are offered first to parents of fourth- and fifth-year players.

The UNC football game set for Saturday against the Charlotte 49ers is canceled because members of the 49ers offensive line are in quarantine.

Dawn Vaughan Baumgartner and T. Keung Hui contributed to this report.

This story was originally published September 17, 2020 at 1:53 PM.