Aug. 27. By Dave Yochum. The number of new cases of the coronavirus jumped by 2,091 in today’s NC Dept. of Health & Human Services report. It’s up from 1,244 new cases yesterday and the August high of 2,008 set on Friday last week.

Meanwhile, the state’s median number of daily cases over the past week is running 5.36 percent ahead of the median number of daily new cases during the past month, based on reports from Johns Hopkins University.

The differential—only in the other direction with a week’s worth of new cases running below a month’s worth—was around 27 percent earlier this month.

The increase today was the highest single-day increase this month came as positive tests also hit a monthly high. “As of last week trends started to tip in the wrong direction,” NCDHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said.

NC testing

Positive tests are coming back at the rate of 8.2 percent in today’s NCDHHS report, up from 7.8 percent yesterday and 7.4 percent on Tuesday. Early in August, before some students returned to school, the rate was running at 6 percent positive.

NC Secretary of Health Dr. Mandy Cohen said a positive test rate trending downward from 5 percent is the goal from a statewide perspective.

Hospitalizations

NCDHHS today reported statewide hospitalizations retreated from more than 1,000 yesterday to 958 today. In late July there were more than 1,200 people hospitalized due to COVID-19.

Deaths

A lagging indictor, new COVID deaths, fell to 24 today, down from 36 new deaths yesterday and 35 new deaths reported Tuesday by NCDHHS. The cumulative statewide death toll now stands a 2,630.

Mecklenburg County

Over the past seven days, Mecklenburg accounted for 10.1 percent of the state’s new confirmed cases per day, according to local data from Johns Hopkins University. The proportion is down from 16 percent one month ago, and directly in line with Mecklenburg’s share of the state population.

In the spring and early summer, Mecklenburg was the epicenter of pandemic. Now, counties like Montgomery and Robeson, at 19.6 percent and 15.8 percent, respectively, have much higher positive test rates than Mecklenbug, where the positive test rate remains 6 percent.

The median number of daily new cases over the past month at 151 is 12 percent down from the median of 172 new cases per day during the past month.

(See chart below.)

NCDHHS today reported 199 new cases in Mecklenburg—up from 137 new cases yesterday—for a total of 24744 since the outbreak began.

North Meck

Cornelius: 4 new cases, total 416 (350 on Aug. 2). 16 deaths total, none new in more than a month

Davidson: 2 new cases, total 238 (193 on Aug. 2). 5 deaths total, none new this month

Huntersville: 5 new cases, 778 total (582 on Aug. 2). 11 deaths total, 1 new since Aug. 26