Dr. Mandy Cohen NCDHHS secretary

Nov. 20. By Dave Yochum. New COVID-19 cases statewide fell to 3,688 today, 197 fewer than the record 3,885 set this past Saturday, and 608 fewer than the new record of 4,296 new cases set yesterday. The NC Dept. of Health & Human Services also reported 43 new deaths due to COVID-19.

“We are going in the wrong direction,” NCDHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said during a 2 pm press conference during which no new restrictions were announced.

The median number of new daily cases from June 30 to July 30, during the first COVID peak, was 1,849.

COVID-19 hospitalizations, which rose above the 1,500 mark on Tuesday, climbed to 1,571 today, according to Cohen, with the highest number of COVID-19 patients in ICU.  “They’re starting to feel that strain in the Triad area,” she said during a 2 pm press conference today.

Cohen said the NCDHS reported two records in the space of eight days: More than 3,000 cases in a single day and then more than 4,000 cases in a single day.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week issued a warning about travel, advising Americans they should stay home for the holiday.

More than 252,000 people have died from the coronavirus nationwide, while 4.4 million people have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Total cases

The cumulative total of COVID-19 cases now stands at 328,846 statewide.

Testing

Tests are coming back positive at the rate of 8.3 percent statewide, down from 9.2 percent on Wednesday, but still ahead of the 5 percent target. In Mecklenburg County, positive tests were at 7.6 percent for the second day in a row.

Deaths

There were 38 new deaths in today’s NCDHHS report, for a total of 4,936 North Carolinians who have died due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mecklenburg

In Mecklenburg County, there were 324 new cases in today’s NCDHHS report, down from 390 new cases yesterday. There was one new death in the county, for a total of 427 people who have died of COVID-19 in Mecklenburg.

North Mecklenburg

Cornelius: 9 new cases, 863 cumulative; 17 deaths total.

Davidson: 7 new cases, 454 cumulative; 7 deaths total.

Huntersville: 26 new cases, 1,605 cumulative; 14 deaths total.

Average daily new cases up 23%