COVID-19 in the Carolinas: SC sets single-day record with 1,741 new cases

CHARLOTTE — South Carolina on Tuesday reported the state’s single-day record for coronavirus cases, with more than 1,700 in the past 24 hours. That high-water mark has more than doubled in the Palmetto State over the past two weeks.

According to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, 1,741 new COVID-19 cases were reported Tuesday. The previous record high was 1,599 reported on Saturday.

SCDHEC also announced 17 new deaths.

Tuesday was the tenth time in the past two weeks at least 1,000 new positive cases have been confirmed in South Carolina. The total number of individuals tested yesterday statewide was 9,174 (not including antibody tests) and the percent positive was 19%.

South Carolina now has 36,297 cases, 735 confirmed deaths and 1,021 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19.

Hospitalizations in North Carolina now top 900

North Carolina is reporting more than 1,000 COVID-19 cases for the seventh straight day.

On Tuesday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,186 new COVID-19 cases and 18 more deaths as the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 climbed above 900.

>> 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.

Currently, 908 people are in the hospital with COVID-19, with 90% of hospitals reporting their patient populations. According to NCDHHS, 28% of all inpatient beds and 25% of all Intensive Care Unit beds are currently available. Ventilators are still widely available, with only 24% of the state’s supply currently in use.

Health officials reported 18,676 completed tests on Tuesday. Nine percent of those tests were positive, a figure that has remained roughly stable throughout the month of June (between 8% and 10%). However, DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen has previously said she would like to see that number drop to 5%.

To date, the state has reported 64,670 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases, 1,343 deaths and 910,033 completed tests. That is an increase of 35,407 cases, 445 deaths and 488,125 completed tests since June 1.

>> 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.

Across the state, the age group that is impacted the most is between the ages of 25 and 49.

Health officials said those in the 75 and older age group are more susceptible to coronavirus, but statewide the group represents about 6% of the cases. This age group, however, represents about 60% of coronavirus deaths across the state.

What about closer to home?

According to state health officials, Mecklenburg County has reported 11,170 cases of COVID-19 with 146 deaths.

On average, 142 patients have been hospitalized in the last week, which is an increase over the last two weeks.

Social distancing is still lower than it was before the stay-at-home order started, but there was a slight decrease in the percentage of positive tests in Mecklenburg County, which is a fairly stable 11.3%.

The latest data, maps and charts on local COVID-19 are available here on MeckNC.gov.

[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]

In-depth data breakdown for Mecklenburg County COVID-19 Cases (reported as of June 28):

As of this morning there were 10,019 cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) with 149 deaths due to COVID-19 reported among Mecklenburg County residents. Data from Sunday, June 28 are presented below.

As of June 28, 2020, 9,825 cases of and 149 deaths due to COVID-19 among county residents were reported to Mecklenburg County Public Health (MCPH). These results only reflect laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 among county residents. Many individuals infected by COVID-19 have not been tested because they are asymptomatic. As such, these results are very fluid and only represent a fraction of the true burden of COVID-19 in our community.

Daily case counts provided by MCPH may differ from state and federal counts due to delays in reporting to the various entities. MCPH updates case counts after an initial case review and, where possible, a patient interview is conducted, which includes confirming county residency. Cases reported after 5p.m. are counted in the following day’s case count.

Highlights about the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Mecklenburg County as of June 28, 2020 include:

• About 3 in 4 reported cases were adults ages 20 to 59 years old.
• More than a third of reported cases are Hispanic – most of whom are younger adults. The high number of reported cases among young Hispanics over the last several weeks remains a significant concern. As previously noted, some factors influencing this trend include:
• Targeted testing occurring in neighborhoods with lower access to care, some of which have larger Hispanic populations;
• Higher proportions of Hispanics working in essential jobs that make social distancing difficult;
• Significant household spread among large families; and
• Pre-existing disparities in other social and economic determinants of health, like poverty.

MCPH continues to expand outreach to Hispanic members of our community, including increased dissemination of the outreach toolkit in Spanish for community partners, setting up targeted outreach to Hispanic owned- and serving-businesses, and partnering with local organizations and media outlets to spread key prevention messages.

• About 1 in 15 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.
• More than half of cases have met CDC criteria to be released from isolation.
• During the past week, an average of 142 individuals with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infections were hospitalized at acute care facilities in Mecklenburg County. This represents an increase 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 11.3 percent of individuals who were tested were positive for COVID-19. During the last 14 days, there was a slight decline followed by a slight increase in percent positive. Overall this represents a fairly stable trend over the last 14 days. These data only include tests conducted by Atrium Health, Novant Health, and CVS Health. Reporting of negative results to MCPH is not required or covered by communicable disease reporting laws. MCPH will include results from other providers and laboratories as accurate, consistent and timely reporting mechanisms are established.
• One hundred-forty-nine deaths due to COVID-19 occurred among reported cases.
• Almost all deaths were among older adults (≥ 60 years), while 17 deaths were adults ages 40 to 59.
• All deaths, except two, occurred among adults with underlying chronic illnesses.
• More than half were non-Hispanic Whites. The disparity 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.
• Nearly 2 out of 3 deaths were connected to active outbreaks at long-term care (LTC) facilities.
• Based on publicly available mobility tracking data, social distancing slightly increased in Mecklenburg County over the last 14 days.

Are people recovering?

As of Monday (this data is released only on Mondays), the state was reporting 45,538 patients were presumed to have recovered. That’s out of the 63,484 cases reported Monday across the state.

In Mecklenburg County, more than half of the 10,863 COVID-19 cases have been released from isolation.

It takes about 28 days for people who have been hospitalized because of COVID-19 to recover from the virus, according to the NCDHHS.

Coronavirus pandemic leads to national coin shortage Coronavirus pandemic leads to national coin shortage

TUESDAY MORNING STORYLINES

Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to announce recommendations for reopening schools on Wednesday.

Over 10.2 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and infections are on the rise in 32 states, according to ABC News.

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest said his impending lawsuit against Cooper for unilaterally closing businesses and mandating face masks due to COVID-19 isn’t politically motivated. Forest said Monday the Democratic incumbent has failed to seek or receive support for six executive orders from other elected officials that make up the Council of State. Forest is trying to unseat Cooper in November.

© 2020 Cox Media Group