Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Nov. 28
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Hospitalizations hit new high
At least 357,958 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 5,219 have died, according to health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 3,444 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, down from 3,834 cases on Friday and 4,174 on Thursday.
Since Wednesday, there have been 81 reported deaths.
At least 1,840 people were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 on Friday, the state reported Saturday. That surpassed the previous mark of 1,800 patients on Thursday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed the way states count COVID-19 hospitalizations, which helped increase the state’s numbers by more than 10% on Nov. 13, The News & Observer reported. Still, the daily number of people hospitalized has continued to rise since then, increasing by more than 400, according to The N&O.
About 7.8% of tests were reported positive on Saturday, up from 7.3% on Wednesday, the latest previous day for which data are available. That’s above the 5% target set by health officials.
More people are dying at home
More sick people in the Charlotte area are being treated at home and refusing to go to a hospital for additional care during the pandemic.
MEDIC, Mecklenburg County’s EMS agency, had 6,573 calls between March and August in which patients opted out of going to the hospital, The Charlotte Observer reported. That’s a 25% increase from the same time period last year.
The number of patients found dead in their homes after an ambulance was called rose to 545 during the six-month period — a 35% increase.
Deaths at home jumped 39% from February to March, the largest one-month increase since early 2017, the Observer reported.
The coronavirus pandemic is likely a factor, experts say, with some people afraid of contracting COVID-19 in hospitals. Others might mistakenly believe their doctors’ offices are closed.
Lap dancing, large crowds cost Charlotte strip club its permits
A south Charlotte strip club had its permits to serve alcohol suspended Friday after police witnessed huge crowds, lap dancing and no mask wearing at the popular venue, records show.
At least 200 patrons were packed inside Club Onyx at 5300 Old Pineville Road when a state investigator entered the business early on Nov. 1, according to the state order suspending its permits, The Charlotte Observer reported.
“Grossly exceeded capacity limitations,” Special Agent Kelly Kearns wrote in the order.
The night before, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Detective Chad Denton cited club general manager Daniel Newell for operating the club in violation of Gov. Roy Cooper’s COVID-19 executive orders, according to the commission’s order pulling the club’s permits.
Newell told the investigators he considered the club exempt from Cooper’s orders because it serves food.
Pandemic leads to changes in treating patients
The coronavirus pandemic is leading some doctors to rethink how to treat seriously ill patients, including those in local hospitals, North Carolina Health News reports.
Early in the pandemic, experts warned a potential shortage of ventilators for COVID-19 patients. But doctors have learned that delivering oxygen through a tube that sits below the patient’s nose can be effective, and patients could also get oxygen through face masks.
Another emerging practice is to have patients who are on oxygen treatment lie on their stomachs for up to 16 hours a day to improve airflow and prevent lung injuries.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has been on the rise, with patients being treated in smaller hospitals in rural areas, according to North Carolina Health News.
This story was originally published November 28, 2020 at 8:37 AM.
