Aug. 18. By Dave Yochum. The median number of North Carolina’s new confirmed COVID-19 over the past week is now down 26.7 percent compared to the past month. It’s a good sign, although the decline is not as steep as it was yesterday, when it was down 28 percent, and this past Friday, when it was down 29 percent.
The median changes are based on Johns Hopkins University data, which change and update frequently.
The NC Dept. of Health & Human Services reported 1,263 new cases statewide as of 12:30 pm today, up from 564 new cases Monday and 1,246 new cases on Sunday. A month ago, around mid-July daily new cases were running in the 2,000 range.
Today’s report comes the week after NC Secretary of Health Mandy Cohen said she sees “a challenge in front of us as schools go back in session.” Indeed, UNC-Chapel Hill yesterday abruptly announced it will no longer hold in-person classes on campus after about 130 students tested positive for COVID-19 in the first week since classes began.
Lagging indicators
Cohen emphasized that hospitalization and death data were “lagging indicators” for the spread of COVID-19
DR. MANDY COHEN
Positivity rates among students rose to about 13 percent of the 954 students tested. With hospitalization and death data less than helpful in the midst of an outbreak, Cohen said flu shots are even more important this year as we face a difficult fall.
“Death is very much of a lagging indicator, and it really tells us more about what was happening in North Carolina back in July,” Cohen said.
“I see a challenge in front of us. As schools go back into session, more and more people will be moving around, and we know virus will be moving around. If we can do the three Ws, we know science tells us that will keep viral spread low. What I see though when we go into the fall also is the start of flu season. Then we start to have two viral illnesses out there that can have severe impacts on our population,” the secretary of education said.
Using Johns Hopkins data, Cornelius Today compiled a chart of NC’s new confirmed COVID-19 from July 18 through Aug. 17. The state’s median number of cases since July 18 is 1,611. The state’s median over the past 7 days is lower at 1,181
Record deaths
Statewide, there were 48 new deaths—a record so far in North Carolina—attributed to COVID-19. Today’s record number, however, comes off just one new death reported yesterday, and four on Sunday.
Hospitalizations
Hospitalizations rose by 46 in today’s report as well as yesterday’s having decreased for three days in a row. The total hospitalized statewide now stands at 1,026.
On July 17, there were 1,178 hospitalized. Statewide, positive tests in today’s report are coming back at the rate of 7 percent, up from 6 percent back to Aug. 8. Total testing statewide is just below 2 million.
Mecklenburg
Using data from Johns Hopkins University, we calculate the median number of daily new cases in Mecklenburg County’s over the past week is down 27 percent compared to the median number of daily new cases during the past month. (See chart below.)
The actual numbers, culled from Johns Hopkins University’s tracking system, are 192 median daily new ases over the past month vs 139 median during the past week.
NCDHHS today reported 154 new cases in Mecklenburg, for a total of 23,318 since the outbreak began. Positive tests are running at 6 percent in Mecklenburg.
Over the past 7 days, Mecklenburg has accounted for 10.99% of the state’s new confirmed cases per day.
North Meck
Cornelius: 4 new cases, total 387 (278 one month ago). 16 deaths total, none new in more than a month
Davidson: 2 new cases, total 221 (133 one month ago). 5 deaths total, none new in two weeks
Huntersville: 10 new cases, 709 total (440 one month ago). 10 deaths total, none new since Aug. 11
