North Carolina reported 20,480 new cases of coronavirus in the week ending Sunday, down 6.5% from the previous week. The previous week had 21,899 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
North Carolina ranked ninth among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 4.7% from the week before, with 507,209 cases reported. With 3.15% of the country’s population, North Carolina had 4.04% of the country’s cases in the last week. Across the country, three states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
The Labor Day holiday may have altered how many people can get tested and when, and when governments report testing results and deaths. This will skew week-to-week comparisons.
Gaston County reported 516 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 593 cases and 20 deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 75,054 cases and 911 deaths.
Across North Carolina, cases fell in 63 counties, with the best declines in Guilford County, with 964 cases from 1,165 a week earlier; in Durham County, with 523 cases from 716; and in Mecklenburg County, with 1,940 cases from 2,122.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
Within North Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Graham County with 640 cases per 100,000 per week; Surry County with 429; and Anson County with 368. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
Adding the most new cases overall were Wake County, with 2,011 cases; Mecklenburg County, with 1,940 cases; and Guilford County, with 964. Weekly case counts rose in 37 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week’s pace were in Watauga, Stanly and Cumberland counties.
In North Carolina, 30 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 492 people were reported dead.
A total of 3,141,302 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 26,365 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 95,250,705 people have tested positive and 1,050,323 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
North Carolina’s COVID-19 hospital admissions staying flat
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Sept. 11. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
- Last week: 2,680
- The week before that: 2,638
- Four weeks ago: 2,885
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
- Last week: 60,585
- The week before that: 61,376
- Four weeks ago: 69,436
Hospitals in 16 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 22 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 19 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.
The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.
