North Carolina reported 24,464 new cases of coronavirus in the week ending Sunday, down 8.7% from the previous week. The previous week had 26,785 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
North Carolina ranked 10th 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 0.7% from the week before, with 730,572 cases reported. With 3.15% of the country’s population, North Carolina had 3.35% of the country’s cases in the last week. Across the country, 15 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Gaston County reported 443 cases and two deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 450 cases and 11 deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 67,978 cases and 865 deaths.
Across North Carolina, cases fell in 55 counties, with the best declines in Wake County, with 3,831 cases from 4,879 a week earlier; in Durham County, with 1,165 cases from 1,348; and in Cumberland County, with 740 cases from 922.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
Within North Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Mitchell County with 454 cases per 100,000 per week; Jones County with 372; and Durham County with 362. 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 3,831 cases; Mecklenburg County, with 2,708 cases; and Guilford County, with 1,260. Weekly case counts rose in 41 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week’s pace were in Onslow, Cleveland and Haywood counties.
In North Carolina, 46 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 434 people were reported dead.
A total of 2,823,979 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 25,140 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 86,246,101 people have tested positive and 1,013,413 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
North Carolina’s COVID-19 hospital admissions rising
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, June 19.
Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
- Last week: 1,745
- The week before that: 1,596
- Four weeks ago: 1,452
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
- Last week: 59,526
- The week before that: 57,395
- Four weeks ago: 52,179
Hospitals in 29 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 31 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.
