Mecklenburg COVID-19 Cases 'Moving In Right Direction'

HUNTERSVILLE, NC — While the spread of coronavirus continues throughout the Charlotte metro region, numbers of those infected are starting to dip with trends "continuing to move in the right direction," Mecklenburg County Public Health officials said.

"During the past week, an average of 8.7 percent of individuals who were tested were positive for COVID-19. This represents a slight decrease over the last 14 days," MCPH said in an Aug. 5 data update.

Other trends are encouraging, too. About three out of every four patient confirmed to have COVID-19 has been released from isolation, and hospitalizations are also starting to drop, according to MCPH.

During the week of August 3, at least 1,455 COVID-19 cases were reported to Mecklenburg County health officials, increasing the total number of known coronaviruses in the county to 21,694.

At least 230 people have died in Mecklenburg County, representing about 10 percent of the state's total virus death toll.

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

"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 Friday, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported:

• Davidson (28036) — 203 cases, 5 deaths
• Cornelius (28031) — 359 cases, 16 deaths
• Huntersville (28078) — 625 cases, 8 deaths
• Mint Hill (28227) — 1,250 cases, 11 deaths

North Carolina reported 132,812 COVID-19 cases Friday, including 1,545 cases confirmed since Thursday. The state also reported 42 new COVID-19 related deaths, increasing the virus death toll to 2,134.

Globally, more than 19 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 716,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Friday. In the United States, more than 4.9 million people have been infected and more than 160,000 people have died from COVID-19.

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