North Carolina reported 33,265 new cases of coronavirus in the week ending Sunday, from 33,932 the week before of the virus that causes COVID-19.
North Carolina ranked fourth 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 14.2% from the week before, with 781,487 cases reported. With 3.15% of the country’s population, North Carolina had 4.26% of the country’s cases in the last week. Across the country, 13 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Gaston County reported 689 cases and five deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 738 cases and seven deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 72,198 cases and 883 deaths.
Within North Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Lenoir County with 551 cases per 100,000 per week; Duplin County with 507; and Hertford County with 507. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 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 3,891 cases; Wake County, with 3,427 cases; and Guilford County, with 1,405. Weekly case counts rose in 50 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week’s pace were in Cumberland, Guilford and Alamance counties.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
Across North Carolina, cases fell in 47 counties, with the best declines in Wayne County, with 525 cases from 667 a week earlier; in New Hanover County, with 573 cases from 695; and in Columbus County, with 171 cases from 289.
In North Carolina, 204 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 48 people were reported dead.
A total of 3,016,395 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 25,687 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 92,112,922 people have tested positive and 1,033,556 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, Aug. 7. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
- Last week: 2,428
- The week before that: 2,370
- Four weeks ago: 1,801
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
- Last week: 72,801
- The week before that: 72,098
- Four weeks ago: 67,603
Hospitals in 24 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 24 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 33 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.
