Jan. 5. By Dave Yochum. The number of patients hospitalized with coronavirus continues to grow, with a record 3,781 COVID-19 patients statewide, according to the NC Dept. of Health & Human Services. That’s up 74 percent from one month ago.

There were 55 new deaths, for a total of 6,996 statewide since the outbreak began here last March.

New cases are increasing less rapidly—5,285 in today’s report. There have been 575,396 cumulative statewide since the outbreak was first tracked in North Carolina.

Some 16.2 percent of COVID-19 tests came back positive in today’s NCDHHS report. Four of the six highest percent positive readings have occurred in the past 10 days; yesterday’s rate was 16.5 percent.

Deaths

Mecklenburg County saw two new deaths due to the coronavirus county-wide, one of them in Huntersville.

Mecklenburg County

There have been 66,419 cumulative cases county-wide, up 610 in one day. The positive test rate county wide is 13 percent, about double the rate in early November.

North Mecklenburg

Cornelius: 19 new cases; 1,710 cumulative; 19 deaths total.

Davidson: 7 new cases; 894 cumulative; 9 deaths total.

Huntersville: 29 new cases; 3,448 cumulative; 24 deaths total.