Sept. 30. As YouTube launches a sweeping crackdown of vaccine misinformation on the video sharing app, the NC Dept. of Health & Human Services is reporting that COVID hospitalizations have finally slipped below the 3,000 mark—2,943 statewide as of today’s NCDHHS report.

The last time they were below 3,000 was on Aug. 18.

Despite the improvement, there was one more new COVID-related death in Huntersville, where there have been nine reported by NCDHHS since Sept. 9.

There were 80 new COVID deaths statewide in today’s report.

New cases

The volume of new cases eased to 4,765 today, still lower than the average daily increase last week of 5,136 statewide.

Testing

Tests are coming back positive at the rate of 7.7 percent statewide, down from 9.7 percent yesterday.

Mecklenburg

In Mecklenburg County, there were 301 new cases and four new deaths, including the death in Huntersville.

North Mecklenburg (change from Wednesday)

Cornelius: 13 new cases, 3,857 cumulative total, 29 deaths cumulative total.

Davidson: 2 new cases, 2,217 cumulative total, 17 deaths cumulative total.

Huntersville: 17 new cases, 8,378 cumulative total, 66 deaths cumulative total.