Mecklenburg County Sees Decrease In COVID-19 Positivity Rate

MECKLENBURG COUNTY — Community spread of COVID-19 in Mecklenburg County has slightly decreased in the past two weeks, according to public health officials.

As of Aug. 11, at least 22,487 county residents were confirmed positive for COVID-19, and 248 deaths in the county attributed to the virus.

"Over the last week, an average of 7.5 percent of tested individuals were positive for the virus," county officials said Tuesday.

It's positive news for a county that has long been North Carolina's coronavirus hot spot. On Aug. 5, the county reported a positivity rate of 8.7 percent, according to Mecklenburg County Public Health.

Nearly 75 percent of county residents who were confirmed to have COVID-19 have been released from isolation, MCPH said in an Aug. 9 data update.

About 170 patients confirmed by a lab to have COVID-19 were hospitalized at acute care facilities in the past week, representing "a slight decrease over the last 14 days," MCPH said.

As of Aug. 11, hospitals in the greater Charlotte metro region reported 94 empty staffed intensive care unit beds and 1,103 empty staffed inpatient hospital beds, according to North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

While 75 percent of Mecklenburg County's coronavirus patients have been released, recovery from COVID-19 can take a long time, county health officials warned recently.

"One study shows 1 in 5 previously healthy young adults weren't back to normal health 2 to 3 weeks after testing positive for COVID-19," MCPH said via Facebook. "Symptoms include, but are not limited to, cough, fever, headache, fatigue, shortness of breath and loss of taste or smell. By contrast, just 10% of those diagnosed with flu don't feel back to normal two weeks later."

As of Aug. 11, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported:

• Davidson (28036) — 213 cases, 5 deaths
• Cornelius (28031) — 364 cases, 16 deaths
• Huntersville (28078) — 651 cases, 9 deaths
• Mint Hill (28227) — 1,284 cases, 12 deaths

North Carolina reported 137,895 COVID-19 cases Tuesday, including 1,051 cases confirmed since Monday. The state also reported 32 new COVID-19 related deaths Tuesday, increasing the virus death toll to 2,204.

Globally, more than 20 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 744,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Wednesday. In the United States, more than 5.1 million people have been infected and nearly 165,000 people have died from COVID-19.

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