Local

Coronavirus in the Carolinas: Phase 3 in two weeks doesn’t seem likely, health director says

By WSOCTV.com News Staff
By WSOCTV.com News Staff

CHARLOTTE — Here is a roundup of what’s happening so far today, June 12, surrounding COVID-19 in both North Carolina and South Carolina (Click here to get caught up on yesterday’s coverage). Scroll below for live, local real-time minute-by-minute updates.

>> Have questions about the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the Carolinas? We have an entire section dedicated to coverage of the outbreak -- CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

[WANT TO WATCH ON OUR STREAMING APPS? CLICK HERE]

[COUNTY-BY-COUNTY COVID-19 RESOURCE GUIDE]

[CORONAVIRUS IN THE CAROLINAS; HERE’S HOW TO STAY INFORMED]

>> We’ll bring you LIVE updates on Channel 9 Eyewitness News. Get extended coverage on the free WSOC Now app on Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV.

Live, local updates from Friday:

Mecklenburg County leaders updated the public as COVID-19 cases continue to trend up across our area.

Health Director Gibbie Harris said a large number of the cases were adults ages 20 to 59 years old, so they are targeting resources and awareness campaigns at that age group.

She said there have been 11 straight days of triple digit numbers in virus cases.

The county reported that the percentage of positive cases is at 10%, which is an increase. Harris said the state wants Mecklenburg County to increase testing availability, but she is backing off the 20,000 tests per day figure.

Health leaders said an average of 101 people were hospitalized over the past 14 days, which is also up. Harris asked that people not to go to the hospital for testing, instead go to testing sites. You can find one here.

She said right now the models don’t show that our hospitals will be overwhelmed and she doesn’t believe we are heading into a second wave -- she thinks we are resuming the first.

“COVID-19 is still here. Yes, we’ve opened things up. People have more flexibility in their lives, which is a good thing. But we can’t be fatigued," Harris said.

She warned that the health department will never ask you to pay anything or offer to sell you anything. If you are concerned whether a call is real, take the name of the person and call the contact tracing hotline.

She said the way numbers look now, she’d be surprised if the state moved into Phase 3. She said moving back into restrictions can’t be ruled out.

According to Harris, none of the data is trending downward except social distancing.

She said enforcement is the real challenge with a mask mandate.

Mecklenburg County delivered 400 masks to protesters

Park and Rec will allow people to reserve baseball and softball fields starting in July.

County Manager Dena Diorio said the county doesn’t have any intention in freeing the basketball hoops in parks anytime soon. When asked why the Hornets can practice but people can’t play pickup games, she said the Hornets players are closely monitored.

Diorio confirmed that the Republican National Convention has sent the county a letter saying it will be moving its main event and will host a scaled-down convention due to COVID-19 concerns.

_____

Gov. Cooper and the Coronavirus Task Force held a news conference after the state reported its highest single-day increase since the start of the pandemic.

1,768 new cases and 1,092 deaths were reported on Friday.

The Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said after three weeks in Phase 2, she is concerned about trends. She said North Carolina is not alone and other states are seeing an increase in cases as well.

Cooper said we should remember that we are under the “Safer at Home” phase and just because we can go out, doesn’t mean we should.

He said easing restrictions gradually has helped from overwhelming hospitals. He urged people to follow guidelines so more businesses can reopen.

The governor said the things we do now will make starting school safer in August.

Breakdown of the current COVID-19 trends:

  • People who are coming into the ER with COVID-like symptoms: Slightly increasing
  • New cases: Increasing (State expected numbers to go up with with increased testing but did not expect them to accelerate)
  • Percentage of positive tests: Slightly increasing -- 10% of people who were tested were positive (One of the highest rates among states across country)
  • Hospitalizations: Rising (Hospitals have the capacity to keep up with the increase, but Cohen said the rise is concerning)
  • Testing: Increasing (Averaging about 15,000 tests per day)

How to help slow the spread:

  • We must all work together
  • Practice the 3 W’s: wear a face mask, wait 6 feet apart and wash/sanitize hands frequently
  • Get tested if you’ve been to a protest or mass gathering
  • Get tested if you work in a high-risk exposure environment
  • Answer the phone for local health department because they may be calling to tell you that you have been in contact with someone who tested positive.

Leaders said we have flattened the curve before and we can do it again

To find a testing location near you, click here.

_____

Mecklenburg County reported that there were 6,144 cases of COVID-19 and 123 deaths due to COVID-19 reported among county residents.

About 3 in 4 of the reported cases were adults ages 20 to 59 years old and more than a third of the cases are Hispanic.

County breakdown:

  • About 1 in 10 reported cases were hospitalized due to their COVID-19 infection.
  • During the past week, an average of 101 individuals with COVID-19 infections were hospitalized at care facilities in Mecklenburg County -- an increase over the last 14-days.
  • During the past week, an average of 10% of people who were tested were positive for COVID-19 -- an increase over the last 14-days (Only include tests conducted by Atrium Health and Novant Health)
  • More than half of cases have met CDC criteria to be released from isolation.

_____

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on Friday reported a significant increase in cases -- the largest one-day jump during the pandemic.

1,768 new cases were reported on Friday. The largest increase in one day before that was last week, when 1,370 new cases were reported in one day.

The state also saw it’s largest number of tests completed in one day with 21,442 completed tests reported in the last 24 hours, well exceeding the state’s goal of 5,000 to 7,000 per day.

The number of people hospitalized due to complications of coronavirus decreased for the first time since Sunday, with 760 people now hospitalized. That’s down 52 people from Thursday.

28 more people died in the past 24 hours, bringing the statewide total to 1,092.

Over the last day, NCDHHS has reported that 10% of the completed tests have come back positive. Dr. Mandy Cohen said during a news conference earlier this week that the percentage of positive tests in North Carolina is among the highest in the U.S.

With 86% of hospitals reporting, 20% of inpatient beds and 13% of ICU beds are still available.

Lab-confirmed cases: 41,249

Completed tests: 595,697

Currently hospitalized: 760

Statewide deaths: 1,092

Mecklenburg County continues to lead the state in both cases and deaths with at least 6,538 and 118 respectively.

Confirmed cases by age:

0-17 (8%)

18-24 (11%)

25-49 (45%)

50-64 (21%)

65-74 (7%)

75 or older (8%)

COVID-19 deaths by age:

25-49 (4%)

50-64 (13%)

65-74 (20%)

75 or older (62%)

Cases by race:

White: 54%

Black: 27%

Cases by gender:

Women: 51%

Men: 49%

(Men account for 53% of deaths)

Cases and deaths in congregate living settings:

There are 101 outbreaks in nursing homes across the state, resulting in 3,850 cases and 559 deaths.

There are 54 outbreaks at residential care facilities across the state, resulting in 991 cases and 83 deaths.

_____

McMaster reopens SC bowling alleys, lifts restrictions on retail capacity

Today, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued Executive Order 2020-40, which declares a new state of emergency, allows bowling alleys to open immediately, and lifts restrictions on the occupancy of retail establishments.

Read more here.

__________

Five staff members at Albemarle Correctional Institution test positive for COVID-19

Per the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, five staff members at Albemarle Correctional have recently tested positive for COVID-19. They are currently off the job and will remain off the job until they recover. No offenders have tested positive.

__________

FRIDAY MORNING STORYLINES

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in North Carolina continues to set records, hitting 812 people on Thursday.

While the figure is up 75% from a month ago, public health experts say it will likely continue to rise in the coming days and weeks because the effects of resuming many business and social activities and the recent large protests aren’t yet reflected in the numbers.

We’re expecting a local and a state update on COVID-19 today. First, Gov. Roy Cooper will hold a briefing at 2 p.m. Then, Mecklenburg County leaders will have an update at 3 p.m.

You can watch those on-air and online.

Cooper said his test for COVID-19 came back negative. Cooper said at a media briefing earlier this week he would get tested, and he revealed the result on Thursday.

His decision to test came with the release of new guidance from state health officials to medical providers recommending testing for people who had attended protests, rallies or other mass gatherings. The governor participated briefly in a racial justice demonstration outside the Executive Mansion last week.

The number of completed tests statewide since the pandemic began is now well over 572,000.

“My COVID-19 test results have come back negative, and I have had no symptoms," he said. "I encourage anyone who has been in a crowd to get tested even if you have no symptoms.”

© 2020 Cox Media Group

0

Most Read