Buncombe County's COVID cases up 17.8%; North Carolina cases surge 26.4%
Buncombe County reported 556 cases and one death in the week ending July 3, up from 472 reported cases the previous week and minus one death.
Throughout the pandemic, Buncombe has reported 58,741 cases and 596 deaths.
The 84 cases, a 17.8% increase, is during a week where cases leaped in North Carolina, rising 26.4% as 24,141 cases were reported. The previous week had 19,098 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
North Carolina ranked 16th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States increased 11.8% from the week before, with 800,077 cases reported. With 3.15% of the country's population, North Carolina had 3.02% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 38 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Madison County reported 35 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 38 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 5,504 cases and 81 deaths.
Haywood County reported 118 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 131 cases and minus one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 14,013 cases and 224 deaths.
Within North Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Mitchell County with 448 cases per 100,000 per week; Northampton County with 411; and Durham County with 377. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
Adding the most new cases overall were Wake County, with 3,316 cases; Mecklenburg County, with 2,907 cases; and Durham County, with 1,211. Weekly case counts rose in 72 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Watauga, Mecklenburg and Craven counties.
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Across North Carolina, cases fell in 27 counties, with the best declines in Pitt County, with 507 cases from 568 a week earlier; in Chatham County, with 101 cases from 153; and in Yadkin County, with 84 cases from 126.
In North Carolina, 58 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending July 3. In the week before that, 11 people were reported dead.
A total of 2,867,218 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 25,209 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 87,843,561 people have tested positive and 1,017,848 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
North Carolina's COVID-19 hospital admissions rising
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, July 3. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
Last week: 1,867
The week before that: 1,722
Four weeks ago: 1,706
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
Last week: 65,244
The week before that: 61,335
Four weeks ago: 56,288
Hospitals in 33 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 28 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 40 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.
The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe County reported 556 additional COVID-19 cases this week
