Cleveland County's COVID cases up 157%; North Carolina cases surge 122.5%
New coronavirus cases leaped in North Carolina in the week ending Sunday, rising 122.5% as 20,466 cases were reported. The previous week had 9,199 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
North Carolina ranked 32nd 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 67.6% from the week before, with 843,458 cases reported. With 3.15% of the country's population, North Carolina had 2.43% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 48 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Thanksgiving significantly disrupted who got tested, how many people got tested, what labs operated and what government agencies reported on time. Some governments reported three days of data for Thanksgiving week; some reported none. The reporting of many cases and deaths were shifted from Thanksgiving's week into last week, making Thanksgiving week artificially low and the latest week artificially high, skewing the week-to-week comparison. These numbers are unreliable even as they're accurate to what states reported.
Cleveland County reported 203 cases and two deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 79 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 19,037 cases and 317 deaths.
Within North Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Swain County with 610 cases per 100,000 per week; Yadkin County with 512; and Alleghany County with 440. 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 1,966 cases; Mecklenburg County, with 1,869 cases; and Guilford County, with 936. Weekly case counts rose in 96 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Wake, Mecklenburg and Guilford counties.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
North Carolina ranked 20th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 68.1% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 68.8%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.
In the week ending Thursday, North Carolina reported administering another 375,432 vaccine doses, including 220,716 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 231,957 vaccine doses, including 93,060 first doses. In all, North Carolina reported it has administered 13,142,848 total doses.
Across North Carolina, cases fell in four counties, with the best declines in Alleghany County, with 49 cases from 58 a week earlier; in Yancey County, with 56 cases from 64; and in Pamlico County, with 7 cases from 10.
In North Carolina, 149 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 79 people were reported dead.
A total of 1,544,544 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 18,825 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 49,085,361 people have tested positive and 788,363 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
North Carolina's COVID-19 hospital admissions falling
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Dec. 5.
Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
Last week: 1,786
The week before that: 1,837
Four weeks ago: 1,691
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
Last week: 88,233
The week before that: 76,364
Four weeks ago: 68,138
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 45 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 The Shelby Star: Cleveland County COVID cases increased by 203 this week
