Coronavirus local updates: SC health officials report 276 additional COVID-19 cases

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More than 4.5 million people worldwide -- including more than 1.4 million people in the United States – have been infected with the new coronavirus, and the number of deaths from the outbreak continues to rise. Officials are attempting to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. as hospitals manage unprecedented patient surges.

>> Scroll below for live, local real-time minute-by-minute updates

____________________

***Possible news conferences scheduled for today***

(WANT TO WATCH ON OUR STREAMING APPS? CLICK HERE)

Mecklenburg County: (TBA)

North Carolina Task Force: (TBA.)

South Carolina Task Force (TBA)

White House Task Force: (TBA)

____________________

>> 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.

[CLICK HERE FOR TODAY’S NATIONAL UPDATES]

[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.

[Everything you need to know about the stimulus payments, unemployment]

[Food banks, soup kitchens helping people affected by COVID-19 outbreak]

[Charlotte restaurants, breweries offering curbside pickup, delivery, discounts]

>> Here are the latest updates about COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in North Carolina and South Carolina. Scroll below for real-time updates.

• The number of cases across North Carolina reached 17,982 Saturday. North Carolina is now reporting 652 deaths, 238,586 completed tests and 481 people currently in the hospital.
• Gov. Roy Cooper and the state’s coronavirus task force announced a statewide stay-at-home order which is currently in effect.
• Gov. Henry McMaster lifted the home or work order in South Carolina on May 1.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking cases in the United States here.

Important Links:

• CDC: Tracking Cases in the U.S. here
• NC Dept. of Health & Human Services
• WSOC Special Section: Tracking Coronavirus
• WHO: Advice for the Public
• WHO: Q&A

Live, local updates from Saturday:

5:33 p.m.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced 276 new cases of COVID-19 and no additional deaths.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in South Carolina to 8,661 and those who have died remains 380.

4:43 p.m.

Mecklenburg County is reporting 123 additional positive coronavirus cases.

This brings the total in the county to 2,562 cases.

3:43 p.m.

Federal judge issues order allowing North Carolina churches to hold services indoors

A federal judge has issued a temporary order that prevents North Carolina from stopping places of worship from holding services indoors.

The order is effective immediately and will last for at least 14 days.

According to the order, the state and law enforcement cannot take any legal action against churches and those who hold services inside.

The order blocks Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order which only allowed indoor services and weddings to be held for gatherings of ten people or fewer.

Cooper’s executive order said churches were allowed to hold outdoor services while following social distancing guidelines.

Statement from North Carolina Governor’s office in response to the federal judge’s order:

“We don’t want indoor meetings to become hotspots for the virus and our health experts continue to warn that large groups sitting together inside for long periods of time are much more likely to cause the spread of COVID-19. While our office disagrees with the decision, we will not appeal, but instead urge houses of worship and their leaders to voluntarily follow public health guidance to keep their members safe."

11 a.m.

NCDHHS has released updated data on COVID-19 for the state:

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting 17,982 cases of COVID-19 in 99 counties. That is up 853 from Friday. Avery County is the only county in North Carolina to not see any cases of coronavirus so far.

There have been 11 new deaths attributed to COVID-19 since Friday, bringing the state’s total to 652.

NCDHHS reported that 481 people remain hospitalized and 238,586 231,547 tests have been completed.

The state reported 7,039 total tests were done in the past 24 hours, just exceeding the benchmark to test between 5,000 and 7,000 people every day.

Mecklenburg County continues to lead the state in both cases and deaths with at least 2,504 and 62 respectively.

Confirmed cases by age:

0-17 (4%)

18-24 (8%)

25-49 (43%)

50-64 (25%)

65 or older (20%)

COVID-19 deaths by age:

25-49 (3%)

50-64 (12%)

65 or older (85%)

Cases by race:

White: 54%

Black: 33%

Cases by gender:

Women: 50%

Men: 48%

(Men account for 52% of deaths)

Cases and deaths in congregate living settings:

There have been 75 outbreaks in nursing homes across the state, resulting in 2,485 cases and 344 deaths (Anson, Burke (2); Cabarrus (2); Cleveland; Iredell; Mecklenburg (8); Rowan (4); Union (2))

There have been 28 outbreaks at residential care facilities across the state, resulting in 455 cases and 47 deaths (Cabarrus (2); Mecklenburg (6); Stanly; Union).

Highlights about the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Mecklenburg County as of May 13, 2020 include:

• About 3 in 4 reported cases were adults ages 20 to 59 years old.
• About 1 in 7 reported cases were hospitalized due to their COVID-19 infection. While everyone is at risk for severe COVID-19 complications, reported cases who were older adults (≥ 60 years) were more likely to be hospitalized compared to younger individuals.
• About 2 in 3 reported cases have met CDC criteria to be released from isolation.
• During the past week, an average of 54 individuals with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infections were hospitalized at acute care facilities in Mecklenburg County. This represents a decrease over the last 14-days. These data are based on daily census counts from acute care facilities in Mecklenburg County reporting to MCPH.
• During the past week, an average of 7% of individuals who were tested were positive for COVID-19. This represents a slight decrease over the last 14-days. These data only include tests conducted by Atrium Health and Novant Health.
• Sixty-three deaths due to COVID-19 occurred among reported cases.
• Almost all deaths were among older adults (≥ 60 years), 4 deaths were adults ages 50 to 59.
• All deaths occurred among adults with underlying chronic illnesses.
• Nearly 2 out of 3 were non-Hispanic Whites. The disparities in COVID-19 deaths among non-Hispanic Whites is related to differences in race/ethnicity of residents of long-term care (LTC) facilities actively experiencing an outbreak.
• More than half of the deaths were connected to active outbreaks at long-term care (LTC) facilities.
• Based on publicly available mobility tracking data, there has been a slight decrease in social distancing in Mecklenburg County over the last 14-days. Despite this downward trend, social distancing remains significantly higher than before the Stay at Home Order became effective on March 26, 2020.

10:30 a.m.

Health officials report Burke County is currently at 194 positive coronavirus cases from traveling, congregate living and community spread.

Officials said all positive cases are isolated and the health department continues to work to identify anyone who may have come into contact with the virus.

They also noted that the new normal for Burke County will be practicing the three W’s -- Wear a cloth face covering, Wait at least six feet from others and Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.

7:30 a.m.

Saturday afternoon, a number of influential leaders including President Barack Obama will have a virtual tribute to honor students at Johnson C. Smith University and more than 75 other historically black colleges and universities.

The tribute is called “Show Me Your Walk -- HBCU Edition.”

Senior Brenda Montanez will miss out on walking across the stage as she becomes the first college graduate in her family. But, she said this new event will still be memorable.

“I know a lot of students are feeling very sad because things have not gone as planned, but I think it’s awesome to make the best,” Montanez said. “On the bright side, I can say I had Barack Obama speak at my commencement.”

The 2-hour tribute will air at 2 p.m. Saturday on HBCU Connect’s Facebook page.

10:40 p.m.

10:05 p.m.

© 2020 Cox Media Group