Gaston County's COVID cases fall 11.3%; North Carolina cases fall 6.1%

Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK
·3 min read
Representatives of all Gaston healthcare workers battling the COVID pandemic accepted the Chamber's 2021 Public Service Award.
Representatives of all Gaston healthcare workers battling the COVID pandemic accepted the Chamber's 2021 Public Service Award.

North Carolina reported 31,230 new cases of coronavirus in the week ending Sunday, down 6.1% from the previous week. The previous week had 33,265 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

North Carolina ranked sixth 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 2.3% from the week before, with 795,621 cases reported. With 3.15% of the country's population, North Carolina had 3.93% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, seven states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Gaston County reported 611 cases and five deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 689 cases and five deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 72,809 cases and 888 deaths.

​ Across North Carolina, cases fell in 62 counties, with the best declines in Mecklenburg County, with 3,489 cases from 3,891 a week earlier; in Cumberland County, with 1,015 cases from 1,330; and in Wake County, with 3,191 cases from 3,427. ​

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

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Within North Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Swain County with 540 cases per 100,000 per week; Surry County with 507; and Wayne County with 504. 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 3,489 cases; Wake County, with 3,191 cases; and Guilford County, with 1,420. Weekly case counts rose in 38 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Carteret, Robeson and Wayne counties.

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In North Carolina, ​ 37 ​ people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 204 people were reported dead.

A total of 3,047,625 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 25,724 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 92,927,104 people have tested positive and 1,037,021 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, Aug. 14. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

  • Last week: 2,941

  • The week before that: 2,345

  • Four weeks ago: 1,995

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

  • Last week: 72,082

  • The week before that: 71,315

  • Four weeks ago: 70,906

Hospitals in 13 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 18 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 27 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 611 additional COVID-19 cases this week