171 COVID-19 Cases Confirmed In Cornelius: DHHS

CORNELIUS, NC — At least 171 lab-confirmed cases of novel coronavirus were reported in Cornelius Wednesday, according to state public health officials.

As of Wednesday, 16 Cornelius residents had lost their lives to the virus.

The news comes as Mecklenburg County reported an increase in hospitalizations for coronavirus-related illnesses. As of Wednesday, 11,534 county residents had tested positive for COVID-19, and at least 147 deaths, according to state public health data.

According to Mecklenburg County Public Health, outbreaks in long term care facilities represent about six percent of the county's COVID-19 cases overall, but have been responsible for at least 59 percent of the county's deaths.

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As of July 1, North Carolina confirmed 1,843 new COVID-19 cases, increasing the state's tally to more than 66,000 cases. More than 16 percent of the state's cases stem from spread in Mecklenburg County, which has been the hardest hit of North Carolina's 100 counties.

Globally, more than 10.5 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 512,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Wednesday. In the United States, more than 2.6 million people have been infected and more than 127,000 people have died from COVID-19.