North Carolina reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 10,021 new cases. That’s down 16.3% from the previous week’s tally of 11,971 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
North Carolina ranked 15th 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 16.4% from the week before, with 250,233 cases reported. With 3.15% of the country’s population, North Carolina had 4% of the country’s cases in the last week. Across the country, eight states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Cleveland County reported 82 cases and no deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 109 cases and four deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 34,570 cases and 429 deaths.
Across North Carolina, cases fell in 73 counties, with the best declines in Mecklenburg County, with 856 cases from 1,227 a week earlier; in Guilford County, with 637 cases from 759; and in Wake County, with 956 cases from 1,074.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
Within North Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Yadkin County with 231 cases per 100,000 per week; Jones County with 202; and Stokes County with 165. 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 956 cases; Mecklenburg County, with 856 cases; and Guilford County, with 637. Weekly case counts rose in 25 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week’s pace were in Catawba, Haywood and Wilson counties.
In North Carolina, 33 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 327 people were reported dead.
A total of 3,220,858 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 26,885 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 96,952,191 people have tested positive and 1,065,109 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. 16. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
- Last week: 2,050
- The week before that: 2,247
- Four weeks ago: 2,532
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
- Last week: 50,945
- The week before that: 49,442
- Four weeks ago: 55,544
Hospitals in 23 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 21 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 29 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.
