Gaston County's COVID cases up 4.4%; North Carolina cases fall 4.3%

Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK
·3 min read
Former chairman of the Board of Commissioners Tom Keigher speaks during a COVID Remembrance Ceremony held March 18, 2021, in the Harley B. Gaston Public Forum at the Gaston County Courthouse.
Former chairman of the Board of Commissioners Tom Keigher speaks during a COVID Remembrance Ceremony held March 18, 2021, in the Harley B. Gaston Public Forum at the Gaston County Courthouse.

North Carolina reported 20,284 new cases of coronavirus in the week ending Sunday, down 4.3% from the previous week. The previous week had 21,189 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

North Carolina ranked second 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 decreased 0.6% from the week before, with 401,433 cases reported. With 3.15% of the country's population, North Carolina had 5.05% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 17 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Gaston County reported 402 cases and three deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 385 cases and four deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 75,841 cases and 918 deaths.

Across North Carolina, cases fell in 53 counties, with the best declines in Wake County, with 1,674 cases from 2,150 a week earlier; in Mecklenburg County, with 1,726 cases from 1,974; and in Iredell County, with 276 cases from 397. ​

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Within North Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Caldwell County with 628 cases per 100,000 per week; Burke County with 546; and Yadkin County with 382. 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 Mecklenburg County, with 1,726 cases; Wake County, with 1,674 cases; and Guilford County, with 972. Weekly case counts rose in 43 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Burke, Caldwell and Robeson counties.

Wenham Public Nurse Mari Beth Ting prepares a patient to receive the COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccine clinic, organized by the Greater Cape Ann Community Collaborative, at the Hamilton-Wenham Senior Center in Hamilton, Massachusetts, on Sept. 9.
Wenham Public Nurse Mari Beth Ting prepares a patient to receive the COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccine clinic, organized by the Greater Cape Ann Community Collaborative, at the Hamilton-Wenham Senior Center in Hamilton, Massachusetts, on Sept. 9.

In North Carolina, 44 ​ people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 49 people were reported dead.

A total of 3,182,775 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 26,458 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 96,070,980 people have tested positive and 1,056,416 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

North Carolina's COVID-19 hospital admissions staying flat

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Sept. 25. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

  • Last week: 2,561

  • The week before that: 2,532

  • Four weeks ago: 2,784

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

  • Last week: 55,707

  • The week before that: 55,506

  • Four weeks ago: 64,244

Hospitals in 13 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 20 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 25 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 Gaston Gazette: Gaston County reported 402 additional COVID-19 cases this week