March 4. By Dave Yochum. The decline in the median number of new COVID cases during the past week (2,643) vs. the past month (3,227) is continuing in North Carolina. The new case volume is down 18 percent this past week compared to the past 31 days, based on data from Johns Hopkins University.

But the NC Dept. of Health & Human Services today reported 2,502 new cases of COVID-19 today, up from 2,145 yesterday.

It was a year ago that the NCDHHS reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19. Total NC cases in one year: 868,056. Deaths statewide: 11,399 in one year.

The statewide positive test rate is at 4.2 percent, down from 15-16 percent at the beginning of the year.