North Carolina reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 16,091 new cases. That’s down 20.7% from the previous week’s tally of 20,284 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
North Carolina ranked sixth 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 19.4% from the week before, with 323,859 cases reported. With 3.15% of the country’s population, North Carolina had 4.97% of the country’s cases in the last week. Across the country, 10 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Gaston County reported 226 cases and two deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 402 cases and three deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 76,067 cases and 920 deaths.
Across North Carolina, cases fell in 83 counties, with the best declines in Wake County, with 1,364 cases from 1,674 a week earlier; in Burke County, with 225 cases from 494; and in Mecklenburg County, with 1,463 cases from 1,726.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
Within North Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Alleghany County with 368 cases per 100,000 per week; Caldwell County with 333; and Yadkin County with 295. 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 Mecklenburg County, with 1,463 cases; Wake County, with 1,364 cases; and Guilford County, with 877. Weekly case counts rose in 16 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week’s pace were in Alleghany, Lee and Person counties.
In North Carolina, 67 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 44 people were reported dead.
A total of 3,198,866 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 26,525 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 96,397,885 people have tested positive and 1,059,605 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
North Carolina’s COVID-19 hospital admissions falling
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Oct. 2. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
- Last week: 2,332
- The week before that: 2,513
- Four weeks ago: 2,638
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
- Last week: 51,355
- The week before that: 53,692
- Four weeks ago: 61,434
Hospitals in 17 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 25 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 17 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.
