Mecklenburg has more than twice the number of coronavirus cases as any other NC county
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Mecklenburg County rose to more than 330 on Sunday and county officials say one person, age 60, has died.
The person who died likely contracted the new coronavirus through “community spread,” according to Health Director Gibbie Harris, who said she’s “extremely concerned” about the growing outbreak and urged all residents to comply with local and state stay-at-home orders.
Harris and County Manager Dena Diorio said Sunday Mecklenburg would not be releasing the person’s name or other details, such as the person’s sex. Harris said the person who died had “significant underlying conditions.”
The county’s total number of cases is about twice the figure from four days ago and Mecklenburg has the most of any county in North Carolina. As of Sunday night, Wake County reported 146 cases, according to the (Raleigh) News & Observer.
Health officials have said more positive coronavirus cases are to be expected as testing capability expands. State officials have said, though, people with mild COVID-19 symptoms should isolate in their home and skip testing to preserve supplies and protect health workers.
Nationwide, COVID-19 cases passed 135,000 on Sunday, with more than 2,300 deaths in the United States.
There were at least 1,184 known cases in North Carolina late Sunday, according to the (Raleigh) News & Observer, which compiles N.C. DHHS data and reports from county health departments. Seven people have died in North Carolina from the new coronavirus, including six residents and one person traveling through the state who was from Virginia.
After first emerging in large N.C. cities, the virus has started to spread in some of the state’s rural counties. Northampton County in eastern North Carolina announced 20 new cases Saturday, all but one connected to a single location. North Carolina has 100 counties — two-thirds of counties have at least one case.
What’s known about the virus in Charlotte
Less is known about cases in the Charlotte area compared to other municipalities. For nearly a week, Mecklenburg County released data on the number of infections by zip code. Then, on Friday, Harris said the health department would no longer release that data or an associated map.
But on Sunday, Harris said the county would again be releasing the map of cases by zip code. She said the map should not be used to deduce that some areas of the county are safer than others and that the new maps would provide more context. She did not say what that additional context would be.
In Mecklenburg County, 20 percent of new cases require hospitalization, Harris said, adding that the county’s hospitals are seeing more severe illnesses and a greater number of admissions. She didn’t have the data on how many, if any, of the people infected locally are medical professionals. There are no known cases in nursing homes, she said Sunday.
At the peak of the state’s COVID-19 pandemic, North Carolina will be short hundreds of hospital beds and intensive care units, according to a model developed by the University of Washington. The model projects that 2,400 people in the state will die from the disease by Aug. 4.
N.C. stay-at-home order in effect Monday
Gov. Roy Cooper issued a 30-day statewide stay-at-home order Friday, mandating social distancing and barring all non-essential travel. The move comes after other North Carolina counties, including Mecklenburg, already implemented local stay-at-home orders. Cooper said that, in cases where two orders overlap, the most restrictive one applies.
Businesses like grocery stores, pharmacies and hardware stores — deemed “essential” — will remain open under the statewide order. Gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited, which goes into effect at 5 p.m., March 30.
‘Parks were packed.’ Charlotte crowds collide with stay-at-home order, health director warns
Under the stay-at-home order, parks and greenways may remain open and outdoor exercise is allowed. But activity in local parks this past weekend worried Harris.
Charlotte residents visited parks en masse on a balmy Saturday and again on Sunday. Harris criticized the lack of social distancing, and said the county would discuss additional measures enforce distance rules in parks. Some municipalities in the U.S. have closed their parks to prevent the spread of the virus.
In a brief appearance on MSNBC on Sunday afternoon, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles stressed the importance of complying with the stay-at-home order.
“Today is a beautiful North Carolina day, and I am so concerned about the number of people that are out in our parks and our open spaces,” Lyles said.
She also emphasized how fluid the situation has been as city, county, state and federal officials have tried to respond to the pandemic.
“Our messaging on this has been very difficult. We said, ‘Well, if you’re young, you’re not gonna get sick. It’s only for the vulnerable populations.’ And now we know that’s not true.”
“Please stay at home,” she implored, “so that we can deal with this issue before it becomes a place where we’re having more loss of life.”
Total number of cases in Charlotte, surrounding area
The number of coronavirus cases reported Sunday rose in the Charlotte area. Totals are:
▪ Cabarrus County: 29
▪ Catawba County: 14
▪ Gaston County: 22
▪ Iredell County: 20
▪ Rowan County: 17
▪ Union County: 38
▪ York County: 36
In addition to the death in Mecklenburg announced Sunday, a person died from the disease in Asheville on Saturday, Buncombe County health officials said.
The impact of the virus has already started to sharply affect the Charlotte economy. Mecklenburg County may see its gross-domestic product drop by about 17% in the second quarter, according to an estimate by StratoDem Analytics, a real estate analysis firm.
No other state saw a larger increase in unemployment claims in the past month than North Carolina, according to U.S Department of Labor data. Since March 16, 219,286 people have applied for unemployment in North Carolina through Thursday, the state unemployment agency said.
