NC reports 800 new one-day COVID-19 cases as testing hits a summer low
North Carolina reported 800 more people have tested positive for COVID-19, the state health department said Monday, while daily testing reached a low not seen in months.
The new lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases bring the total in North Carolina to 194,381 since the first case was identified in March, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. Nearly 70% of cases are in people 49 years old and younger.
DHHS reported Monday that 176,422 people are presumed recovered from COVID-19. The estimate is based on when people were tested and whether or not they were hospitalized.
The agency reported 8,231 coronavirus tests completed Monday. Testing numbers tend to lag early in the week, but this is the lowest daily count since June 1, according to data monitored by The News & Observer.
Testing has been lagging around the country, Vox reported.
North Carolina hospitals reported treating 885 people with COVID-19 as inpatients on Sunday — four fewer than Saturday — with 95% of hospitals reporting.
DHHS reported four more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the state total to 3,247.
The United States is approaching a death toll of 200,000 — with 199,446 coronavirus-related deaths as of Monday, according to The New York Times.
DHHS advises that the information on its data dashboard is preliminary and subject to change. Officials advise considering two-week trends rather than daily fluctuations as data is regularly updated.
The daily percentage of total tests that are positive for the coronavirus has been hovering around the target 5% for about a week and on Saturday was at 5.4% Officials want a positivity rate of 5% or lower. The World Health Organization recommended levels of 5% or lower for 14 days before states consider reopening.
Some of the state’s largest counties have positivity rates that are consistently below 5%. These test results have added significance because the federal government now bases the frequency of required nursing home staff testing on the positivity rates in counties.
Wake County had 63 new lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the total to 16,943 since the pandemic started. Wake has 228 associated deaths. On Saturday, 3.8% of its coronavirus tests were positive.
Durham County had 17 new confirmed cases Monday, for a total of 7,523. Durham has seen 90 COVID-19 related deaths. On Saturday, 3.4% of its tests were positive.
In Orange, 13 more people tested positive for COVID-19 Monday, bringing the total to 2,594 cases and 54 associated deaths. Orange had 2.7% of its tests come back positive on Saturday.
In Mecklenburg County, 55 more people tested positive for COVID-19 Monday, bringing total cases to 27,586. The county has had 341 COVID-19 associated deaths. On Saturday, 4.2% of its tests were positive.
This story was originally published September 21, 2020 at 2:13 PM.