Mecklenburg's COVID-19 Transmission Rate Is High, CDC Says

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, NC — Mecklenburg County's has a high rate of COVID transmission in the community, reporting 1,963 new cases in the past week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The new cases represent a 72 percent increase in the span of a week, according to the health agency's COVID Data Tracker.

The news comes as an estimated 47 percent are fully vaccinated, while about 55 percent of county residents have received at least one dose, CDC said.

The vaccination rates fall short of statewide metrics. As of Friday, 57 percent of adults in North Carolina were considered fully vaccinated, while about 61 percent of adults had received at least one dose.

SEE ALSO: NC To Require Vaccination Proof From State Workers: Gov. Cooper

As the number of new COVID cases continue to rise throughout the state, North Carolina officials are turning up the pressure this week on those who remain unvaccinated. Beginning Sept. 1, state workers will be asked to provide verification that they've been vaccinated, or face weekly testing and mandatory mask policy, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Thursday.

"Our trends have turned sharply in the wrong direction," Cooper said. "Unvaccinated people are driving this resurgence and getting themselves and other people sick," he said.

The new policy announcement comes as the state reported 3,268 new cases in the span of a day, a daily rise that hasn't been seen in the state since February. As of July 29, at least 1,141 people were hospitalized, a doubling of hospitalization rates in two weeks.

The new vaccination verification policy, which Cooper will sign into effect through an executive order, is expected to affect about 50,000 state employees, he said.

North Carolina this week has also updated guidance for K-12 schools, recommending they align their mask policies with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's call for universal masking.

"In accordance with the CDC, we recommend that all K-12 schools require masks for all their students and teachers," Cooper said.

In a special meeting held Friday, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education voted to approve the universal masking policy for all CMS schools and educational office buildings for the 2021-2022 school year, effective immediately.

"This decision aligns with local and state guidance, as well as national guidelines, which address the Delta variants of COVID-19," Elyse Dashew, chair of the Board of Education, said in a statement. "The infection numbers in our county are cause for serious concern — and significant precautions to protect our students and staff."

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